BABIES    OF    KOIOUM. 


ILLUSTRATED  LIBRARY  OF   TRAVEL 


CENTRAL  ASIA 

travels  in 
CASHMERE,    LITTLE    THIBET 

AND 

CENTRAL    ASIA 


COMPILED     AND     ARRANGED     BY 

BAYARD  TAYLOR 


REVISED    BY 

THOMAS  STEVENS 


NEW  YORK 
CHARLES    SCRIBNER'S    SONS 

1898 


£l 


COPYRIGHT,  1881,  1892,  BY 
CHARLES  SCRIBNER'S   SONS 


TROW  DIRFCTORY 

pn.NT.NQ  AND  BOOKBINDING  COMPANY 
NtW  YORK 


A 


REVISER'S   NOTE 


THE  agreeable  task  of  revising  this  work,  for  the 
purpose  of  bringing  its  contents  "  up  to  date,"  having 
been  undertaken  by  the  undersigned,  indulgence  is 
asked  of  the  reader,  for  a  word  in  explanation : 

The  work  was  accepted  both  as  a  pleasure  and  a 
compliment.  The  continued  popularity  of  Bayard 
Taylor's  works  of  travel  and  adventure,  attest,  as 
nothing  else  could,  their  intrinsic  worth  ;  the  histori 
cal  and  geographical  fidelity  of  the  author,  no  less 
than  his  literary  excellence,  whether  in  his  own  writ 
ings  or  the  selecting  and  editing  of  the  productions 
of  other  travellers. 

It  is  only  that  the  political  cards  have  so  frequently 
been  shuffled  of  late  years  in  the  countries  of  Central 
Asia,  and  that  our  knowledge  of  hitherto  mysterious 
regions  has  been  increased  by  later  explorations,  that 
legitimate  excuse  for  this  revision  has  been  found. 

To  make  the  revision  cover,  as  completely  as  pos 
sible,  the  entire  field  of  Central  Asia,  Chapter  XIX., 
"  Across  Thibet,"  has  been  added  to  the  original  mat 
ter.  For  the  substance  of  the  new  chapter  we  are 
indebted  to  the  admirable  work  of  the  French  ex 
plorer,  Gabriel  Bonvalot,  published  under  the  same 
title,  undoubtedly  a  most  valuable  contribution  to  our 
knowledge  of  the  mysterious  country  of  the  Lamas. 


525675 


iv  REVISER'S  NOTE 

It  only  remains  to  be  said,  that  in  revising  Mr. 
Taylor's  work  great  care  has  been  taken  to  make  no 
alterations  beyond  those  made  necessary  by  recent 
political  changes  and  the  developments  of  time  and 
progress. 

THOMAS  STEVENS. 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  I. 
THE  COUNTRIES  OF  CENTRAL  ASIA, 1 

CHAPTER  II. 
MARCO  POLO  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA, 11 

CHAPTER  III. 

MODERN  ATTEMPTS  AT  EXPLORATION,      .       .  .29 

CHAPTER  IV. 
VIGNE'S  JOURNEY  TO  CASHMERE, 34 

CHAPTER  V. 

THE  VALLEY  OP  CASHMERE  AND  THE  RUINS  OF  MAR- 
TUND, 45 

CHAPTER  VI. 

SRINAGUR,  THE   CAPITAL    OF   CASHMERE — CITY,  ENVI 
RONS,  SHAWLS,  AND  INHABITANTS,    ....      51 

CHAPTER   VII. 
JOURNEY  TO  ISKARDO  AND  THE  UPPER  INDUS,       .       .      64 

CHAPTER  VIII. 
JOURNEY  TO  LADAK, 80 

CHAPTER  IX. 
MR.  SHAW'S  PREPARATIONS  TO  EXPLORE  CENTRAL  ASIA,      92 


Vl  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  X. 
JOURNEY  TO  THE  KARAKASH  RIVER,        ....    100 

CHAPTER  XI. 
DETENTION  AT  THE  FRONTIER, 122 

CHAPTER   XII. 
THE  MARCH  TO  YARKAND, 138 

CHAPTER  XIII. 
RESIDENCE  IN  YARKAND, 166 

CHAPTER  XIV. 
THE  JOURNEY  TO  KASHGAR, 184 

CHAPTER  XV. 
DETENTION  AT  KASHGAR, 204 

CHAPTER   XVI. 
THE   RETURN  TO  YARKAND,   AND   SECOND  RESIDENCE 

THERE,  235 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

CROSSING   THE  KARAKORAM  PASS,   AND   END  OP  THE 
JOURNEY, 254 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 
THE  CONQUEST  OF  KHIVA, 269 

CHAPTER  XIX. 
ACROSS  THIBET, 275 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

BABIES  OF  KOIOUM,      .  ...      Frontispiece 

FACING 
PAGE 

PRIMITIVE  AGRICULTURE  IN  KASHGAR,      ....      9 
A  WELL  IN  THE  DESERT, 27 

THE  BROTHERS   SCHLAGINTWEIT  :   ROBERT,    HERMANN, 

ADOLPHE, 32 

MOUNTAIN  SCENE  NEAR  CASHMERE, 44 

NIGHT  ON  THE  DESERT, 68 

THIBETAN  PEASANT, 103 

KIRGHIZ  MAN, 125 

TOORKEE  FUNERAL, :  153 

YARKANDEE  GUEST-CHAMBER, 162 

THE  SHAGHAWAL  OF  YARKAND, 165 

KING  YAKOOB  BEG, 211 

HEAD  OF  ASIATIC  CAMEL, 230 

THE  RETURN  TO  YARKAND, 240 

A  TOORKEE  WEDDING  PARTY,     .        .        .        .        .        .259 

A  PERSIAN  SLAVE, 269 


TRAVELS   IN  CENTRAL   ASIA 

CHAPTER  I. 

THE  COUNTRIES  OF  CENTRAL  ASIA 

THE  name  "  Central  Asia  "  correctly  describes,  in 
a  geographical  sense,  the  heart  of  that  continent. 
It  is  separated  from  the  river-system  of  the  Aral  and 
Caspian  Seas,  on  the  west,  by  almost  impassable 
mountain-ranges ;  from  the  affluents  of  the  Indus 
and  Ganges,  on  the  south,  by  the  chain  of  the  Kiien- 
liin,  the  rival  of  the  Himalayas,  and  from  the  rivers 
of  China  to  the  eastward,  by  the  great  Desert  of 
Gobi.  A  line  drawn  from  Constantinople  to  Pe 
king,  and  another  from  the  latitude  of  Cape  Co- 
morin  to  that  of  the  Polar  Sea,  bisecting  the  former 
line,  would  very  nearly  indicate  the  central  portion 
of  the  region,  as  also  of  the  continent. 

Here — partly,  perhaps,  on  account  of  its  remote 
and  nearly  inaccessible  situation,  and  also  partly 
from  concurrent  traditions — many  ethnologists  have 
placed  the  original  cradle  of  the  Aryan  race.  India 
was  undoubtedly  colonized  by  tribes  descending 
from  the  high  plateaus  to  the  northward,  and  the  le 
gends  of  the  earlier  Aryan  inhabitants  of  Europe 
have  been  traced  backward,  step  by  step,  until  they 


2  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

lose  themselves  among  the  labyrinths  of  mountains 
from  which  descend  the  Oxus  and  the  Jaxartes. 
The  remarkable  physical  features  of  the  region  must 
have  impressed  themselves  upon  even  the  primitive 
inhabitants.  The  three  enclosing  mountain-chains, 
which  form  almost  three  sides  of  a  square,  rise  to 
such  an  elevation  that  few  of  their  passes  are  less 
than  18,000  feet  above  the  sea.  Above  the  western 
wall  lies  the  tableland  of  Pamer,  or  Pamir,  called 
by  the  natives  Bam-i-doonia,  or  "  Roof  of  the 
World."  The  fertile  lands  beyond  those  upper 
realms  of  rock  and  snow  and  scanty  summer  pas 
tures,  can  only  be  reached  after  many  days  of  dan 
gerous  travel,  where  beasts  of  burden  find  no  food, 
where  water  is  rarely  to  be  had,  and  where,  even  in 
summer,  hurricanes  of  intense  cold  threaten  to  de 
stroy  all  life  in  a  few  hours. 

Scarcely  anything  is  known  of  the  early  history  of 
this  part  of  Asia.  The  armies  of  Alexander  reached 
its  western  and  southern  frontiers,  but  neither 
crossed  them  nor  brought  back  any  satisfactory  re 
port  of  the  land  beyond.  It  was  no  doubt  settled  by 
one  of  the  branches  of  the  large  Tartar  family,  and 
its  primitive  communications  must  have  been  with 
the  region  known  as  Soongaria,  on  the  north,  and  the 
countries  of  Turkestan,  or  Independent  Tartary,  on 
the  west.  It  formed  part  of  the  temporary  empire  of 
Genghis  Khan,  and  its  later  subjection  to  China  was 
probably  a  result  of  his  conquest.  Afterward  it  was 
possessed  by  Tamerlane,  and  by  his  great-grandson, 
Baber,  the  founder  of  the  Mogul  dynasty  in  India. 
Its  subsequent  history  very  much  resembles  that  of 


THE  COUNTRIES  OF  CENTRAL  ASIA  3 

Western  Turkestan,  to  the  inhabitants  of  which  its 
own  are  most  nearly  allied  by  blood,  religion,  and 
habits.  Small  states,  governed  by  petty  chiefs,  arose 
after  the  dismemberment  of  the  Tartar  empires,  and 
continued  to  exist,  with  the  usual  episodes  of  jeal 
ousy,  assassination,  and  war,  until  the  middle  of  the 
eighteenth  century,  when  the  whole  region  was 
again  brought  under  Chinese  rule.  The  revolution 
of  1865,  by  which  this  rule  was  overthrown,  was  the 
direct  means  of  opening  Central  Asia  to  explorers. 

A  more  than  geographical  interest,  however,  is 
now  directed  toward  this  region.  Since  1876  Russia 
has  added  the  former  Khanate  of  Khokand  to  her 
territory  ;  while  England,  extending  her  sway  from 
the  south,  over  Cashmere  and  Ladak,  virtually  gov 
erns  as  far  as  the  passes  of  the  Karakoram  and 
Kiien-liin  chains,  and  the  loftier  peaks  which  feed 
the  rivers  of  Yarkand  and  Khoten.  Between  these 
two  rival  powers  lies  a  warm  and  fertile  land,  com 
manding  the  roads  to  China  and  Great  Thibet. 
Hence  the  Russian  merchants  from  the  north  and 
the  English  officials  from  the  south  have  lost  no  time 
in  attempting  to  secure  an  influence  which  may  af 
fect  the  character  of  future  events.  Afghanistan 
and  the  little  independent  states  scattered  among  the 
fastnesses  of  the  Hindoo  Koosh  still  intervene  be 
tween  England  and  the  advance  of  Russia  in  West 
ern  Tartary ;  but  here,  in  Central  Asia,  the  interests 
of  the  two  great  powers  are  brought  face  to  face. 

This  may  either  lead  to,  or  entirely  avert,  the 
great  and  final  struggle  for  political  supremacy  in 
Asia  which  the  thoughtful  statesmen  of  both  coun- 


4:  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

tries  seem  to  anticipate.  It  will,  at  least,  bring  into 
sharper  contrast  the  difference  between  the  systems 
of  annexation  and  government  which  each  employs  ; 
and  these  differences  are  inherent  in  the  character  of 
the  two  races.  Lieutenant  von  Heller,  in  an  article 
entitled,  "  The  Russians  in  Central  Asia,"  makes  this 
parallel :  "  The  Anglo-Saxons  cannot  be  surpassed 
where  their  task  is  to  colonize  virgin  soil  and  create 
new  cities  and  states  by  a  free  course  of  organization  ; 
but  the  art  of  rendering  barbaric  and  semi-barbaric 
tribes  completely  subject  to  them,  to  blend  them 
selves  with  such  tribes  by  a  strict  and  thorough  pro 
cess  of  amalgamation,  as  the  Russians  have  accom 
plished  with  so  much  success  along  the  whole  south 
ern  frontier  of  their  Asiatic  possessions — this  art  is 
alien  to  the  English  nature.  The  Anglo-Saxon  col 
onizes  as  did  the  Greek,  the  Russian  as  did  the 
Roman.  The  pioneers  of  the  latter  are  military 
colonies,  not  those  squatters  who,  conscious  of  their 
free,  unrestricted  individual  force,  feel  at  home  be 
yond  the  limits  of  the  civilization  for  which  they 
break  the  way.  Through  a  system  of  military  col 
onies,  the  nomadic  Tartars,  Kalmucks,  and  Kirghizes 
are  forced  into  the  organization  of  the  Russian  state, 
accustomed  to  taxes  and  military  service,  and  thus 
gradually  Russianized. 

Thus  far,  the  English  rule  in  India  is  based  sim 
ply  upon  force,  and  by  force  sustained.  Notwith 
standing  the  comparative  order  and  security  which 
have  been  established,  the  physical  development  of 
the  country,  the  building  of  canals  and  railroads,  the 
extension  and  protection  of  trade  in  every  quarter, 


THE  COUNTRIES  OF  CENTRAL  ASIA  5 

the  native  population  has  learned  no  loyalty  to  the 
Government  under  which  they  live.  The  English 
officials  are  strangers  and  exiles,  who  never  forget 
their  homes.  There  is  little  intermixture  of  the 
races,  and  even  less  social  intercourse  than  an  intelli 
gent  policy  would  dictate.  India,  thus,  is  an  extra 
neous  possession,  while  Russian  Tartary  is  grafted 
upon  the  national  stock. 

On  both  sides  also  the  means  of  communication 
are  approaching  each  other.  The  English  railways 
now  extend  from  Bombay  arid  Calcutta  into  Afghan 
istan,  while  the  Russians  have  built  a  line  from 
Orenburg,  on  the  Ural  River,  across  the  steppes  into 
Turkestan.  Although  there  is  no  near  probability  of 
any  direct  conflict,  the  natural  impulsion,  which  both 
nations  are  compelled  to  follow,  will  gradually  lead 
them  to  that  point  where  their  different  systems  of 
annexation  will  stand  in  direct  opposition,  and  one 
must  give  way  to  the  other. 

The  tremendous  mountain-chains  which  for  so 
many  centuries  have  shut  out  Central  Asia  from  in 
tercourse  with  the  world,  form  nearly  three  sides  of 
a  square.  The  northern  range,  called  the  Thian- 
Shan,  stretches  eastward  from  the  right  angle  which 
it  makes  with  the  western  range  or  Belur  Dagh,  di 
viding  the  rivers  which  lose  themselves  in  the  desert 
of  Lob  from  those  which  flow  into  the  detached 
lakes  of  Russian  Tartary.  It  is  a  great  natural  bar 
rier,  with  passes  sixteen  thousand  feet,  and  summits 
more  than  twenty  thousand  feet.  The  Belur  Dagh, 
upholding  the  great  tableland  of  Pamir  on  the  west, 
has  an  equal  if  not  greater  average  elevation.  At  its 


6  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

southern  extremity,  where  it  merges  into  the  Hindoo 
Koosh,  it  makes  nearly  a  right  angle  with  the  Kara- 
koram  range  which  divides  the  waters  of  the  Indus 
from  those  of  the  rivers  of  Yarkand  and  Khoten. 
Many  peaks  of  the  Karakoram  have  an  elevation  of 
over  twenty-four  thousand  feet,  and  one  of  them,  the 
Dapsang,  rises  to  the  great  height  of  28,278  feet. 
The  summit  ridge  of  this  chain,  further  to  the  east 
ward,  sinks  into  an  uneven  tableland,  about  nineteen 
thousand  feet  above  the  sea,  which  attaches  it  to  the 
parallel  range  of  the  Kuen-liin,  which  latter  chain 
thus  forms  a  continuation  of  the  southern  wall  of 
Central  Asia. 

The  physical  features  of  the  region  are  thus  de 
scribed  by  Mr.  Shaw :  "  East  Turkestan  (the  name 
now  generally  used)  resembles  an  immense  bay,  open 
to  the  eastward,  but  enclosed  by  gigantic  mountain 
ranges  on  all  other  sides.  A  desert,  thirty  days' 
journey  in  width,  lies  before  its  mouth  and  divides 
it  from  China.  In  this  desert  all  the  rivers  of  Tur 
kestan  are  swallowed  up ;  they  end  in  marshes  or 
lakes,  or  gradually  disappear  under  the  sand  in  broad 
jungles.  At  the  northwestern  corner,  between  the 
Thian-Shan  and  the  plateau  of  Pamir,  there  is  a 
secondary  bay,  at  the  opening  of  which  lie  the  cities 
of  Yang-hissar  and  Kashgar,  the  latter  the  political 
capital  of  the  country,  as  Yarkand  is  the  commercial 
capital.  The  great  bay  of  Turkestan  also  stretches 
out  two  long  arms  to  the  eastward,  at  the  foot  of 
the  northern  and  southern  mountain-chains,  between 
them  and  the  great  desert,  forming  the  province  of 
Khoten  in  the  south,  and  the  provinces  of  Usch-Tur- 


THE  COUNTRIES  OF  CENTRAL  ASIA  7 

fan,  Aksu,  Kutsha,  etc.,  in  the  north.  The  inhabited 
territory  has  therefore  the  general  form  of  a  crescent, 
with  its  convex  side  to  the  mountains  and  its  concave 
toward  the  desert.  It  has  an  average  elevation  of 
four  to  five  thousand  feet  above  the  sea. 

"  The  northern  and  southern  boundaries  of  East 
Turkestan  are  by  no  means  simple  chains  of  moun 
tains,  like  the  Alps  or  Pyrenees,  which  may  be 
crossed  by  single  passes ;  they  are  agglomerated 
mountain-systems,  consisting  of  many  chains,  and 
embracing  considerable  regions,  such  as  Little  Thibet 
and  Cashmere,  in  their  valleys.  In  travelling  from 
India  to  Turkestan  on  the  usual  path  of  trade,  there 
are  not  less  than  eleven  lofty  passes  to  be  surmounted, 
only  two  of  which  are  lower  than  the  summit  of 
Mont  Blanc. 

"  The  rivers  which  have  their  rise  in  the  southern 
mountain-system  exhibit  the  singular  feature,  that 
they  do  not  directly  find  their  way  to  the  plains,  but 
often  flow  for  many  hundred  miles  in  long  valleys, 
lying  between  the  chains  and  parallel  with  them,  be 
fore  they  finally  collect  their  strength,  and  burst 
forth  from  their  imprisonment  through  a  cleft  in  the 
mountain-barrier.  The  most  remarkable  example  is 
the  Indus,  which  rising  on  Chinese  soil,  flows  north 
westward  behind  five  distinct  ranges  of  the  Hima 
layas  before  he  reaches  his  turning-point,  and  then 
must  break  through  all  these  ranges  before  he  issues 
upon  the  plains  of  India.  Within  this  great  curve 
he  embraces  the  entire  courses  of  his  five  large  tribu 
tary  rivers,  which  give  a  name  to  the  Punjab.  Each 
of  the  latter  imitates  his  example  on  a  lesser  scale, 


8  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

and  the  gorges  which  they  break  through  the  moun 
tain-walls  constitute  the  wildest  scenery  of  the  Hima 
layas.  It  is  interesting  to  note  that  this  peculiarity 
is  repeated  on  the  northern  side  of  the  great  water 
shed.  The  Karakash  flows  for  eighty  miles  along 
the  southern  side  of  the  Kuen-lun,  before  it  sud 
denly  turns  and  breaks  through  the  gorge  of  Shahi- 
doolla  ;  and  the  river  of  Yarkand,  rising  in  the  Kara- 
koram  pass,  describes  a  great  arc  behind  another  part 
of  the  same  Kuen-lun  before  it  turns  toward  Yar 
kand.  It  commences  with  anal  most  western  course, 
and  ends  in  the  desert  after  a  long  journey  to  the 
east.  This  feature  of  the  country  occasions  the  prin 
cipal  difficulty  of  travel,  for  the  routes  of  commerce 
are  led  directly  across  all  the  intervening  chains,  in 
stead  of  following  the  long  wanderings  of  the  rivers. 
"  The  northern  mountain  boundary  of  East  Tur 
kestan  is  almost  equally  complicated,  with  the  excep 
tion  of  one  point  at  its  western  extremity,  where  a 
single  Alpine  wall  divides  the  territory  of  Kashgar 
from  the  upper  valleys  of  the  Jaxartes.  We  see, 
therefore,  that  East  Turkestan  is  a  very  compact 
state,  cut  off  from  all  neighboring  lands  by  lofty 
mountains  and  tremendous  deserts.  The  physical 
result  of  this  is  the  almost  entire  absence  of  rain.  All 
the  clouds  laden  with  the  moisture  of  the  Indian 
Ocean  exhaust  themselves  on  the  outer  ridge  of  the 
Himalayas,  where  the  rainfall  occasionally  amounts 
to  three  hundred  inches  in  a  year.  The  second  and 
third  chains  receive  much  less,  and  beyond  them  lies 
the  sterile  region  which  is  called  Thibet.  The  other 
enclosing  mountains  present  similar  obstacles  to  the 


THE  COUNTRIES  OF  CENTRAL  ASIA  9 

clouds  from  the  north  and  west,  while  the  immense 
distance  of  the  China  Sea  acts  as  a  barrier  in  that 
direction. 

"  Therefore,  although  the  first  view  of  Central 
Asia,  as  seen  from  the  crest  of  the  Kiien-liin,  re 
minds  us  of  the  open  plains  of  India  which  we  have 
left  behind  us,  nevertheless  we  remark  an  important 
difference  in  the  country  as  soon  as  we  begin  to  de 
scend.  Here  no  forests  deck  the  mountain  slopes,  no 
green  refreshes  the  eye,  weary  of  gazing  continually  on 
naked  gravel  and  stones  ;  even  the  plain,  at  first,  is 
as  barren  as  the  mountains  we  have  left.  So  much 
the  more  surprising  is  the  appearance  of  the  rich  cul 
tivation,  with  which  the  soil  has  been  clothed  by  the 
hand  of  man.  From  the  edge  of  the  desert  border, 
which  sinks  away  at  a  distance  of  ten  or  twelve  miles 
from  the  foot  of  the  mountains,  the  traveller  enters 
a  cultivated  land,  where  in  spring  a  sea  of  green  fields 
of  grain  spreads  to  the  right  and  left,  dotted  with 
scattered  farms  and  villages  which  are  buried  in 
groves  of  fruit  trees.  The  orchards  are  so  numerous 
that  they  restrict  the  view  to  a  few  hundred  paces. 
Their  productions  are  much  the  same  as  in  Cash 
mere  :  apples,  pears,  apricots,  peaches,  mulberries,  wal 
nuts,  melons,  and  even  wine ;  while  the  chief  harvests 
of  the  fields  are  wheat,  barley,  maize,  and  lucerne, 
together  with  some  cotton,  flax,  and  hemp." 

The  dry  climate  which  makes  a  desert  of  the 
greater  portion  of  the  land,  in  fact  allowing  habita 
tion  only  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  mountains,  has 
given  rise  to  a  singular  arrangement  of  the  settle 
ments.  In  the  absence  of  periodical  rains,  the  in- 


10  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

habitants  are  obliged  to  rely  upon  the  streams  which 
come  from  the  mountains  in  spring  arid  summer,  for 
the  fertilizing  of  their  fields.  The  resemblance  in 
this  respect  to  Utah,  and  other  parts  of  our  Ameri 
can  "  Great  Basin,"  will  strike  the  reader. 

On  account  of  this  dependence  of  the  crops  on  the 
rivers,  the  towns  and  villages  of  East  Turkestan  are 
all  situated  upon  or  very  near  the  latter.  The  entire 
population  of  the  country  is  thus  concentrated  upon 
strips  of  territory,  stretching  in  parallel  lines  from 
the  mountains  toward  the  desert,  with  other  strips  of 
bare,  waste  soil  lying  between.  The  beasts  of  burden 
are  the  ass  and  the  camel,  while  the  Thibetan  yak  is 
used  in  the  mountains. 

The  population  of  the  country  is  principally  of 
Turanian  blood.  The  country  people  are  called  "  Mo 
guls  "  by  the  inhabitants  of  the  towns.  In  addition, 
there  are  also  Chinese  who  have  been  forcibly  con 
verted  to  Islam,  and  some  few  Kalmucks :  also, 
among  the  merchants,  emigrants  from  Tartary  and 
Afghanistan.  Most  of  the  civil  and  military  offices 
are  filled  by  Uzbek  and  Kiptchak  Tartars.  The 
mountains  are  inhabited  by  wandering  Kirghiz  tribes, 
which  pasture  their  great  herds  of  goats,  slice}),  yaks, 
and  camels  during  the  summer  months  on  the  high 
Alpine  meadows,  but  in  winter  descend  into  the  low 
er  and  warmer  valleys. 

The  principal  cities,  each  the  capital  of  a  province, 
are  Yarkand,  Kashgar,  Khoteu,  and  Aksu. 


CHAPTER  II. 

MARCO  POLO  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

THE  only  European  traveller,  from  the  most  re 
mote  period  down  to  the  present  age,  who  ever 
visited  the  high  tableland  of  Thibet  and  the  countries 
beyond  was  Marco  Polo,  of  Venice.  Although  his 
narrative  was  dictated  from  memory,  long  after  his 
return  from  a  series  of  travels  so  extensive  and  ad 
venturous  that  they  have  scarcely  their  parallel  in  the 
annals  of  exploration,  the  exactness  of  his  statements 
has  been  wonderfully  confirmed  by  all  recent  discov 
eries.  Perhaps  the  most  complete  and  satisfactory 
edition  of  his  work  is  that  by  Sir  Henry  Yule,  from 
which  we  take  those  passages  which  refer  to  the  sub 
ject  of  this  volume. 

The  Polos  were  a  noble  family  of  Venice,  who, 
early  in  the  thirteenth  century,  engaged  in  trade  with 
the  East.  Nicolo,  the  father  of  Marco,  with  his  elder 
brother  Maffeo,  appear  to  have  been  settled  in  Con 
stantinople  in  the  year  1260 :  the  boy  Marco,  then 
four  years  old,  had  been  left  behind  in  Venice.  A 
branch  of  their  house  appears  to  have  been  already 
established  in  the  Crimea,  whither  Nicolo  and  Maffeo 
went  in  the  year  above  named.  The  prospect  of 
successful  trade  carried  them  far  to  the  northward 
along  the  Volga,  thence  to  Bokhara  in  Tartary,  and 


12  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

finally  eastward  through  Central  Asia  to  the  court 
of  Kublai  Khan,  at  Cambalu  (Peking),  the  capital  of 
Cathay. 

"  Kublai,"  says  Sir  Henry  Yule,  "  had  never  before 
fallen  in  with  European  gentlemen.  He  was  delighted 
with  these  Venetians,  listened  with  strong  interest  to 
all  they  had  to  tell  him  of  the  Latin  world,  and  de 
termined  to  send  them  back  as  his  ambassadors  to 
the  Pope,  accompanied  by  an  officer  of  his  own  court. 
His  letters  to  the  Pope,  as  the  Polos  represent  them, 
were  mainly  to  desire  the  despatch  of  a  large  body  of 
educated  missionaries  to  convert  his  people  to  Chris 
tianity. 

"  The  brothers  arrived  at  Acre  in  1269,  and  found 
that  no  Pope  existed,  for  Clement  IY.  was  dead  the 
year  before,  and  no  new  election  had  taken  place.  So 
they  went  home  to  Venice  to  see  how  things  stood 
there  after  their  absence  of  so  many  years.  The 
wife  of  Nicolo  was  no  longer  among  the  living,  but 
he  found  his  son  Marco  a  fine  lad  of  fifteen. 

"  The  Papal  interregnum  was  the  longest  known, 
at  least  since  the  Dark  Ages.  Two  years  passed,  and 
yet  the  Cardinals  at  Yiterbo  had  come  to  no  agree 
ment.  The  brothers  were  unwilling  to  let  the  Great 
Khan  suppose  them  faithless,  and  perhaps  they  hank 
ered  after  the  virgin  field  of  speculation  that  they  had 
discovered  ;  so  they  started  again  for  the  East,  taking 
young  Marco  with  them.  At  Acre  they  took  counsel 
with  an  eminent  churchman,  Tedaldo  (or  Tebaldo) 
Visconti,  Archdeacon  of  Liege,  whom  the  book  repre 
sents  to  have  been  Legate  in  Syria,  and  who  in  any 
case  was  a  person  of  much  gravity  and  influence. 


MARCO  POLO  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA  13 

From  him  they  got  letters  to  authenticate  the  causes 
of  the  miscarriage  of  their  mission,  and  started  for 
the  farther  East.  But  they  were  still  at  the  port  of 
Ayas,  on  the  Gulf  of  Scanderoon,  which  was  then  be 
coming  one  of  the  chief  points  of  arrival  and  depart 
ure  for  the  inland  trade  of  Asia,  when  they  were 
overtaken  by  the  news  that  a  Pope  was  at  last  elected, 
and  that  the  choice  had  fallen  upon  their  friend,  Arch 
deacon  Tedaldo.  They  immediately  returned  to  Acre, 
and  were  at  last  able  to  execute  the  Khan's  commis 
sion,  and  to  obtain  a  reply.  But  instead  of  the  hun 
dred  able  teachers  of  science  and  religion  whom 
Kublai  is  said  to  have  asked  for,  the  new  Pope, 
Gregory  X.,  could  supply  but  two  Dominicans ;  and 
these  lost  heart  and  drew  back  when  they  had  barely 
taken  the  first  step  of  the  journey. 

"  Judging  from  certain  indications,  we  conceive  it 
probable  that  the  three  Venetians,  whose  second  start 
from  Acre  took  place  about  November,  1271,  pro 
ceeded  by  Ayas  and  Sivas,  and  then  by  Mardin, 
Mosul  and  Bagdad,  to  Ormuz  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Persian  Gulf,  with  the  view  of  going  on  by  sea,  but 
that  some  obstacle  arose  which  compelled  them  to 
abandon  this  project,  and  turn  north  again  from  Or 
muz.  They  then  traversed  successively  Kerman  and 
Khorassan,  Balkh  and  Badakhshan,  whence  they  as 
cended  the  upper  Oxus  to  the  plateau  of  Pamir,  a 
route  not  known  to  have  been  since  followed  by  any 
European  traveller  except  Benedict  Goes,  till  the 
spirited  expedition  of  Captain  John  Wood,  of  the  In 
dian  Navy,  in  1838.  Crossing  the  Pamir  steppe,  the 
travellers  descended  from  Kashgar,  whence  they  pro- 


14  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

ceeded  by  Yarkand  and  Khoten  and  the  vicinity  of 
Lake  Lob,  and  eventually  across  the  great  Gobi  Desert 
to  Tangut,  the  name  then  applied  by  Mongols  and 
Persians  to  the  territory  at  the  extreme  northwest  of 
China,  both  within  and  without  the  "Wall.  Skirting 
the  northern  frontier  of  China,  they  at  last  reached 
the  presence  of  the  Khan,  who  was  at  his  usual  sum 
mer  residence  at  Kaipingfu,  near  the  base  of  the 
Khingan  Mountains,  and  about  fifty  miles  north  of 
the  Great  Wall.  If  there  be  no  mistake  in  the  time 
(three  years  and  a  half)  ascribed  to  this  journey  in  all 
the  existing  texts,  the  travellers  did  not  reach  the 
court  till  about  May  of  1275. 

"  Kublai  received  the  Venetians  with  great  cordial 
ity,  and  took  kindly  to  young  Marco,  who  must  have 
been  by  this  time  one  and-twenty.  The  '  Young 
Bachelor,'  as  the  story  calls  him,  applied  himself  to 
the  acquisition  of  the  languages  and  written  charac 
ters  in  chief  use  among  the  multifarious  nationalities 
included  in  the  Khan's  court  and  administration  ;  and 
Kublai,  after  a  time,  seeing  his  discretion  and  ability, 
began  to  employ  him  in  the  public  service.  M.  Pau- 
thier  has  found  a  record  in  the  Chinese  annals  of  the 
Mongol  dynasty,  which  states  that  in  the  year  1277, 
a  certain  Polo  was  nominated  a  second-class  commis 
sioner  or  agent  attached  to  the  Privy  Council,  a  pas 
sage  which  we  are  happy  to  believe  to  refer  to  our 
young  traveller. 

"  Marco,  during  his  stay  at  court,  had  observed  the 
Khan's  delight  in  hearing  of  strange  countries,  their 
marvels,  manners,  and  oddities,  and  had  heard  his  Ma 
jesty's  frank  expressions  of  disgust  at  the  stupidity  of 


MARCO  POLO  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA  15 

his  commissioners,  when  they  could  speak  of  nothing 
but  the  official  business  on  which  they  had  been  sent. 
Profiting  by  these  observations,  he  took  care  to  store 
his  memory  or  his  note-book  with  all  curious  facts 
that  were  likely  to  interest  Ivublai,  and  related  them 
witli  vivacity  on  his  return  to  court.  This  first 
journey,  which  led  him  through  a  region  which  is 
still  very  nearly  a  terra  incognita,  and  in  which  there 
existed  and  still  exists,  among  the  deep  valleys  of  the 
great  rivers  flowing  down  from  Eastern  Thibet,  and 
in  the  rugged  mountain-ranges  bordering  Yunnan 
and  Kweichan,  a  vast  ethnological  garden,  as  it  were, 
of  tribes  of  various  races  and  in  every  stage  of  unciv- 
ilization,  afforded  him  an  acquaintance  with  many 
strange  products  and  eccentric  traits  of  manners, 
wherewith  to  delight  the  Emperor. 

"  Marco  rose  rapidly  in  favor,  and  was  often  em 
ployed  again  on  distant  missions,  as  well  as  in  domes 
tic  administration,  but  we  gather  few  details  as  to  his 
employments.  At  one  time  we  know  that  he  held 
for  three  years  the  government  of  the  great  city  of 
Yangchan,  though  we  need  not  try  to  magnify  this 
office,  as  some  commentators  have  done,  into  the  vice- 
royalty  of  one  of  the  great  provinces  of  the  Empire  ; 
an  another  occasion,  we  find  him  with  his  uncle 
Maffeo,  passing  a  year  at  Kanchan,  in  Tangut ;  again, 
it  would  appear,  visiting  Karakoram,  the  old  capital 
of  the  Khans  in  Mongolia  ;  on  another  occasion  in 
Champa,  or  Southern  Cochin-China  ;  and  again,  or 
perhaps  as  a  part  of  the  last  expedition,  on  a  mission 
to  the  Indian  Seas,  when  he  appears  to  have  visited 
several  of  the  southern  states  of  India.  We  are  not 


16  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

informed  whether  his  father  and  uncle  shared  in  such 
employments;  and  the  story  of  their  services  ren 
dered  to  the  Khan  in  promoting  the  capture  of  the 
city  of  Siangyang,  by  the  construction  of  powerful 
engines  of  attack,  is  too  much  perplexed  by  difficul 
ties  of  chronology  to  be  cited  with  confidence.  Any 
how,  they  were  gathering  wealth,  and  after  years  of 
exile  they  began  to  dread  what  might  follow  old  Ku- 
blai's  death,  and  longed  to  carry  their  gear  and  their 
own  gray  heads  safe  home  to  Venice.  The  aged 
Emperor  growled  refusal  to  all  their  hints,  and  but 
for  a  happy  chance  we  should  have  lost  our  mediseval 
Herodotus. 

"  Arghun  Khan,  of  Persia,  Kublai's  great-nephew, 
had  lost  his  favorite  wife,  the  Khatun  Buhigluin; 
and,  mourning  her  sorely,  took  steps  to  fulfil  her  dy 
ing  injunction  that  her  place  should  be  filleu  oiuy  by 
a  lady  of  her  own  kin,  the  Mongol  tribe  of  Bay  ant. 
Ambassadors  were  despatched  to  the  court  of  the 
Great  Khan  to  seek  such  a  bride.  The  message  was 
courteously  received,  and  the  choice  fell  upon  the 
lady  Kukachin,  a  maiden  of  seventeen.  The  overland 
road  from  Peking  to  Tabreez  (in  Persia)  was  not 
only  of  portentous  length  for  such  a  tender  charge, 
but  was  imperilled  by  war,  so  the  envoys  desired  to 
return  by  sea.  Tartars  in  general  were  strangers  to 
all  navigation ;  and  the  envoys,  much  taken  with  the 
Venetians,  and  eager  to  profit  by  their  experience, 
especially  as  Marco  had  just  then  returned  frc::.  his 
Indian  mission,  begged  the  Khan  as  a  favor  to  send 
the  three  Franks  in  their  company.  He  consented  with 
reluctance,  but,  having  done  so,  fitted  out  the  party 


MARCO  POLO  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA  17 

nobly  for  the  voyage,  charging  the  Polos  with 
friendly  messages  for  the  potentates  of  Europe,  in 
cluding  the  King  of  England.  They  appear  to  have 
sailed  from  the  port  of  Zayton  (as  the  Westerns  called 
Chin-chan,  in  To-kien)  in  the  beginning  of  1292.  It 
was  an  ill-starred  voyage,  and  involved  long  deten 
tions  on  the  coast  of  Sumatra,  and  in  the  south  of 
India,  to  which,  however,  we  are  indebted  for  some 
of  the  best  chapters  in  the  book ;  and  two  years  or 
upward  passed  before  they  arrived  at  their  destina 
tion  in  Persia.  The  three  hardy  Venetians  survived 
all  perils,  and  so  did  the  lady,  who  had  come  to  look 
on  them  with  filial  regard  ;  but  two  of  the  three  en 
voys,  and  a  vast  proportion  of  the  suite,  had  perished 
by  the  way. 

"  The  princess  wept  as  she  took  leave  of  the  kindly 
and  noble  Venetians.  They  went  on  to  Tabreez,  and 
after  a  long  halt  there  proceeded  homeward,  reach 
ing  Venice,  according  to  all  texts,  some  time  in  1295." 

We  now  take  from  Eamusio's  edition  of  Marco 
Polo's  travels  (published  in  Venice,  in  1553),  the 
account  of  the  return  of  the  three,  father,  uncle,  and 
Marco,  to  Venice : 

"  And  when  they  got  thither  the  same  fate  befell 
them  as  befell  Ulysses,  who,  when  he  returned,  after 
his  twenty  years'  wanderings,  to  his  native  Ithaca, 
was  recognized  by  nobody.  Thus  also  these  three 
gentlemen,  who  had  been  so  many  years  absent  from 
their  native  city,  were  recognized  by  none  of  their 
kinsfolk,  who  were  under  the  firm  belief  that  they 
had  all  been  dead  for  many  a  year  past,  as  indeed 
had  been  reported.  Through  the  long  duration  and 


18  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

the  hardships  of  their  journeys,  and  through  the 
many  worries  and  anxieties  that  they  had  undergone, 
they  were  quite  changed  in  aspect,  and  had  got  a 
certain  indescribable  smack  of  the  Tartar  both  in  air 
and  accent,  having  indeed  all  but  forgotten  their 
Venetian  tongue.  Their  clothes  too  were  coarse  and 
shabby,  and  of  a  Tartar  cut.  They  proceeded  on 
their  arrival  to  their  house  in  this  city,  in  the  con 
fine  of  St.  John  Chrysostom,  where  you  may  see  it 
to  this  day.  The  house,  which  was  in  those  days  a 
very  lofty  and  handsome  palazzo^  is  now  known  by 
the  name  of  the  Corte  del  Millioni  for  a  reason  that 
I  will  tell  you  presently.  Going  thither,  they  found 
it  occupied  by  some  of  their  relatives,  and  they  had 
the  greatest  difficulty  in  making  the  latter  under 
stand  who  they  should  be.  For  these  good  people, 
seeing  them  to  be  in  countenance  so  unlike  what 
they  used  to  be,  and  in  dress  so  shabby,  flatly  re 
fused  to  believe  that  they  were  those  very  gentlemen 
of  the  Ca'  Polo,  whom  they  had  been  looking  upon 
for  ever  so  many  years  as  among  the  dead.  So  these 
three  gentlemen — this  is  a  story  I  have  often  heard, 
when  I  was  a  youngster,  from  the  illustrious  Messer 
Gasparo  Malpiero,  a  gentleman  of  very  great  age, 
and  a  Senator  of  eminent  virtue  and  integrity,  whose 
house  was  on  the  canal  of  Santa  Marina,  exactly  at 
the  corner  over  the  mouth  of  the  Rio  de  San  Gio 
vanni  Chrisostomo,  and  just  midway  among  the 
buildings  of  the  aforesaid  Corte  del  Millioni,  and 
he  said  he  had  heard  the  story  from  his  own  father 
and  grandfather,  and  from  other  old  men  among 
the  neighbors— the  three  gentlemen,  I  say,  devised  a 


MARCO  POLO  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA  19 

scheme  by  which  they  should  at  once  bring  about 
their  recognition  by  their  relatives,  and  secure  the 
honorable  notice  of  the  whole  city ;  and  this  was  it  : 
"They  invited  a  number  of  their  kindred  to  an  en 
tertainment  which  they  took  care  to  have  prepared 
with  great  state  and  splendor,  in  that  house  of 
theirs ;  and  when  the  hour  arrived  for  sitting  down 
to  table  they  came  forth  of  their  chamber  all  three 
clothed  in  crimson  satin,  fashioned  in  long  robes 
reaching  to  the  ground,  such  as  people  in  those  days 
wore  within  doors.  And  when  water  for  the  hands 
had  been  served,  and  the  guests  were  set,  they  took 
off  those  robes  and  put  on  others  of  crimson  damask, 
while  the  first  suits  were  by  their  orders  cut  up  and 
divided  among  the  servants.  Then,  after  partaking 
of  some  of  the  dishes,  they  went  out  again  and  came 
back  in  robes  of  crimson  velvet ;  and  when  they  had 
again  taken  their  seats,  the  second  suits  were  divided 
as  before.  When  dinner  was  over  they  did  the  like 
with  the  robes  of  velvet,  after  they  had  put  on 
dresses  of  the  ordinary  fashion  worn  by  the  rest  of 
the  company.  These  proceedings  caused  much  won 
der  and  amazement  among  the  guests.  But  when 
the  cloth  had  been  drawn,  and  all  the  servants  had 
been  ordered  to  retire  from  the  dining-hall,  Messer 
Marco,  as  the  youngest  of  the  three,  rose  from  table, 
and,  going  into  another  chamber,  brought  forth  the 
three  shabby  dresses  of  coarse  stuff  which  they  had 
worn  when  they  first  arrived.  Straightway  they 
took  sharp  knives  and  began  to  rip  up  some  of  the 
seams  and  welts,  and  to  take  out  of  them  jewels  of 
the  greatest  value  in  vast  quantities,  such  as  rubies, 


20  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

sapphires,  carbuncles,  diamonds,  and  emeralds,  which 
had  all  been  stitched  up  in  those  dresses,  in  so  artful 
a  fashion  that  nobody  could  have  suspected  the  fact. 
For  when  they  took  leave  of  the  Great  Khan,  they 
had  changed  all  the  wealth  that  he  had  bestowed 
upon  them  into  this  mass  of  rubies,  emeralds,  and 
other  jewels,  being  well  aware  of  the  impossibility 
of  carrying  with  them  so  great  an  amount  in  gold, 
over  a  journey  of  such  extreme  length  and  difficul 
ty.  Now,  this  exhibition  of  such  a  huge  treasure  of 
jewels  and  precious  stones,  all  tumbled  out  upon  the 
table,  threw  the  guests  into  fresh  amazement,  inso 
much  that  they  seemed  quite  bewildered  and  dumb 
founded.  And  now  they  recognized  that,  in  spite  of 
all  former  doubts,  these  were  in  truth  those  honored 
and  worthy  gentlemen  of  the  Ca'  Polo  that  they 
claimed  to  be ;  and  so  all  paid  them  the  greatest 
honor  and  reverence. 

"  And  when  the  story  got  wind  in  Venice, 
straightway  the  whole  city,  gentle  and  simple, 
flocked  to  the  house  to  embrace  them,  and  to  make 
.much  of  them,  with  every  conceivable  demonstration 
'of  affection  and  respect.  On  Messer  Maffeo,  who 
was  the  eldest,  they  conferred  the  honor  of  an  office 
that  was  of  great  dignity  in  those  days  ;  while  the 
young  men  came  daily  to  visit  and  converse  with  the 
ever  polite  and  gracious  Messer  Marco,  and  to  ask 
him  questions  about  Cathay  and  the  Great  Khan,  all 
which  he  answered  with  such  kindly  courtesy  that 
every  man  felt  himself  in  a  manner  in  his  debt. 
And  as  it  happened  that  in  the  story,  which  he  was 
constantly  called  on  to  repeat,  of  the  magnificence  of 


MARCO  POLO  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA  21 

the  Great  Khan,  he  would  speak  of  his  revenues  as 
amounting  to  ten  or  fifteen  millions  of  gold ;  and, 
in  like  manner,  when  recounting  other  instances  of 
great  wealth  in  those  parts,  would  always  make  use 
of  the  term  millions,  so  they  gave  him  the  nickname 
of  '  Messer  Marco  Millioni : '  a  thing  which  I  have 
noted  also  in  the  public  books  of  this  republic,  where 
mention  is  made  of  him." 

We  will  now  quote  those  portions  of  Marco  Polo's 
narrative  which  relate  immediately  to  Central  Asia. 
After  the  disappointment  of  the  travellers  at  Ormuz, 
and  their  change  of  plans,  they  crossed  Persia  in  a 
northeasterly  direction,  and  reached  Balkh,  in  Tar- 
tary.  Thence  their  course  was  up  the  valley  of  the 
Oxus  to  the  great  central  tableland  of  Asia.  (Balkh 
has  been  visited  in  recent  times  by  English  travellers.) 
Beyond  that  place,  Polo  passed  through  Taican  [the 
modern  Talikan]  and  Casein  [Kishm]  to  the  province 
of  Badashan  [now  Badakhshan],  which  he  thus  de 
scribes  : 

"  Badashan  is  a  province  inhabited  by  people  who 
worship  Mahomet,  and  have  a  peculiar  language.  It 
forms  a  very  great  kingdom,  and  the  royalty  is  hered 
itary.  All  those  of  the  royal  blood  are  descended 
from  King  Alexander  and  the  daughter  of  King 
Darius,  who  was  Lord  of  the  vast  Empire  of  Persia. 
And  all  these  kings  call  themselves  in  the  Saracen 
tongue,  Zulcamiainj*  which  is  as  much  as  to  say 
'  Alexander  ; '  and  this  out  of  respect  for  Alexander 
the  Great. 

*  Arabic,  signifying    "  two  horned,1'  from  the  horned  head  of 
Alexander  on  many  of  his  coins. 


22  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

"  There  is  in  the  same  country  a  mountain,  in 
which  azure  [lapis  lazuli]  is  found  ;  it  is  the  finest  in 
the  world,  and  is  got  in  a  vein  like  silver.  There 
are  also  other  mountains  which  contain  a  great 
amount  of  silver  ore,  so  that  the  country  is  a  very 
rich  one ;  but  it  is  also  (it  must  be  said)  a  very  cold 
one !  It  produces  numbers  of  excellent  horses,  re 
markable  for  their  speed.  They  are  not  shod  at  all, 
although  constantly  used  in  mountainous  country, 
and  on  very  bad  roads.  (They  go  at  a  great  pace, 
even  down  steep  descents,  where  other  horses  neither 
would  nor  could  do  the  like.  And  Messer  Marco  was 
told  that  not  long  ago  they  possessed  in  that  province 
a  breed  of  horses  from  the  strain  of  Alexander's  horse 
Bucephalus,  all  of  which  had  from  their  birth  a  par 
ticular  mark  on  the  forehead,  This  breed  was  en 
tirely  in  the  hands  of  an  uncle  of  the  king's  ;  and  in 
consequence  of  his  refusing  to  let  the  king  have  any 
of  them,  the  latter  put  him  to  death.  The  widow, 
then,  in  despite,  destroyed  the  whole  breed,  and  it  is 
now  extinct.) 

"  The  mountains  of  this  country  also  supply  Saker 
falcons  of  excellent  flight,  and  plenty  of  lanners  like 
wise.  Beasts  and  birds  for  the  chase  are  there  in 
great  abundance.  Good  wheat  is  grown,  and  also 
barley  without  husk.  They  have  no  olive  oil,  but 
make  oil  from  sesame,  and  also  from  walnuts. 

"In  this  kingdom  there  are  many  strait  and  peril 
ous  passes,  so  difficult  to  force  that  the  people  have 
no  fear  of  invasion.  Their  towns  and  villages  are 
also  on  lofty  hills,  and  in  very  strong  positions. 
They  are  excellent  archers,  and  much  given  to  the 


MARCO  POLO  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA  23 

chase  ;  indeed,  most  of  them  are  dependent  for  cloth 
ing  on  the  skins  of  beasts,  for  stuffs  are  very  dear 
among  them.  The  great  ladies,  however,  are  arrayed 
in  stuffs,  and  I  will  tell  you  the  style  of  their  dress  ! 
They  all  wear  drawers  made  of  cotton  cloth,  and  into 
the  making  of  these  some  will  put  sixty,  eighty,  or 
even  one  hundred  ells  of  stuff.  This  they  do  to  make 
themselves  look  large  in  the  hips,  for  the  men  of  those 
parts  think  that  to  be  a  great  beauty  in  a  woman. 

"  You  must  know  that  ten  days'  journey  to  the 
south  of  Badashan  there  is  a  province  called  Pashai, 
the  people  of  which  have  a  peculiar  language,  and  are 
idolaters,  of  a  brown  complexion.  They  are  great 
adepts  in  sorceries  and  the  diabolic  arts.  The  men 
wear  earrings  and  brooches  of  gold  and  silver,  set 
with  stones  and  pearls.  They  are  a  pestilent  people 
and  a  crafty ;  and  they  live  upon  flesh  and  rice. 
Their  country  is  very  hot. 

"  Now  let  us  proceed  and  speak  of  another  country 
which  is  seven  days'  journey  from  this  one  toward 
the  southeast,  and  the  name  of  which  is  Keshimur 
[Cashmere]. 

"  Keshimur  also  is  a  province  inhabited  by  a  peo 
ple  who  are  idolaters  and  have  a  language  of  their 
own.  They  have  an  astonishing  acquaintance  with 
the  devilries  of  enchantment ;  insomuch  that  they 
can  make  their  idols  to  speak.  They  can  also  by  their 
sorceries  bring  on  changes  of  weather,  and  produce 
darkness,  and  do  a  number  of  things  so  extraordi 
nary  that  no  one  without  seeing  them  would  believe 
them. 

"  There  are   in  this   country   Eremites   (hermits, 


24  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

after  the  fashion  of  those  parts),  who  dwell  in  seclu 
sion  and  practise  great  abstinence  in  eating  and  drink 
ing.  They  observe  strict  chastity,  and  keep  from  all 
sins  forbidden  in  their  law,  so  that  they  are  regarded 
by  their  own  folk  as  very  holy  persons.  They  live 
to  a  very  great  age. 

"  There  are  also  a  number  of  idolatrous  abbeys  and 
monasteries.  (The  people  of  the  province  do  not  kill 
animals  nor  spill  blood  ;  so  if  they  want  to  eat  meat, 
they  get  the  Saracens  who  dwell  among  them  to  play 
the  butcher.)  The  coral  which  is  carried  from  our 
parts  of  the  world  has  a  better  sale  there  than  in 
other  parts  of  the  country. 

"  .Now  we  will  quit  this  country,  and  not  go  any 
farther  in  the  same  direction  ;  for  if  we  did  so  we 
should  enter  India  ;  and  that  I  do  not  wish  to  do  at 
present.  For  on  our  return  journey  I  mean  to  tell 
you  about  India,  all  in  regular  order.  Let  us  go  back, 
therefore,  to  Badashan,  for  we  cannot  otherwise  pro 
ceed  on  our  journey. 

"  In  leaving  Badashan  you  ride  twelve  days  be 
tween  east  and  northeast,  ascending  a  river  [the 
Oxus]  that  runs  through  land  belonging  to  a  brother 
of  the  Prince  of  Badashan,  and  containing  a  good 
many  towns  and  villages  and  scattered  habitations. 
The  people  are  Mahometans,  and  valiant  in  war.  At 
the  end  of  these  twelve  days  you  come  to  a  province 
of  no  great  size,  extending  indeed  no  more  than  three 
days'  journey  in  any  direction,  and  this  is  called  Vok- 
han.  The  people  worship  Mahomet,  and  they  have 
a  peculiar  language.  They  are  gallant  soldiers,  and 
they  have  a  chief  whom  they  call  None,  which  is  as 


MARCO  POLO  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA  25 

much  as  to  say  Count,  and  they  are  liegemen  of  the 
Prince  of  Badashan. 

"  There  are  numbers  of  wild  beasts  of  all  sorts  in 
this  region.  And  when  you  leave  this  little  country, 
and  ride  three  days  northeast,  always  among  moun 
tains,  you  get  to  such  a  height  that  'tis  said  to  be  the 
highest  place  in  the  world  ! 

"  The  plain  is  called  Parnier  [Pamir,  or  Pamere], 
and  you  ride  across  it  for  twelve  days  together,  find 
ing  nothing  but  a  desert  without  habitations  or  any 
green  thing,  so  that  travellers  are  obliged  to  carry 
with  them  whatever  they  have  need  of.  The  region 
is  so  lofty  and  cold  that  you  do  not  even  see  any 
birds  flying.  And  I  must  notice  also  that,  because 
of  this  great  cold,  fire  does  not  burn  so  brightly,  nor 
give  out  so  much  heat  as  usual,  nor  does  it  cook  food 
so  effectually. 

"  Cascar  [Kashgar]  is  a  region  lying  between 
northeast  and  east,  and  constituted  a  kingdom  in 
former  days,  but  now  it  is  subject  to  the  Great  Khan. 
The  people  worship  Mahomet.  There  are  a  good 
number  of  towns  and  villages,  but  the  greatest  and 
finest  is  Cascar  itself.  The  inhabitants  live  by  trade 
and  handicrafts  ;  they  have  beautiful  gardens  and 
vineyards,  and  fine  estates,  and  grow  a  great  deal  of 
cotton. 

"  Yarcan  [Yarkand]  is  a  province  five  days'  jour 
ney  in  extent.  The  people  follow  the  law  of  Ma 
homet,  but  there  are  also  Nestorian  and  Jacobite 
Christians.  They  are  subject  to  the  same  Prince  I 
have  mentioned,  the  Great  Khan's  nephew.  They 
have  plenty  of  everything,  particularly  of  cotton. 
3 


26  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

The  inhabitants  are  also  great  craftsmen,  but  a  large 
proportion  of  them  have  swollen  legs,  and  great 
crops  at  the  throat,  which  arises  from  some  quality 
in  their  drinking-water.  As  there  is  nothing  else 
worth  telling,  we  may  pass  on. 

"  Pein  [Pima  ?]  is  a  province  five  days'  in  length, 
lying  between  east  and  northeast.  The  people  are 
worshippers  of  Mahomet,  and  subjects  of  the  Great 
Khan.  There  are  a  good  number  of  towns  and  vil 
lages,  but  the  most  noble  is  Pein,  the  capital  of  the 
kingdom.  There  are  rivers  in  this  country,  in  which 
quantities  of  jasper  and  chalcedony  are  found.  The 
people  have  plenty  of  all  products,  including  cotton. 
They  live  by  manufactures  and  trade.  But  they 
have  a  custom  that  I  must  relate.  If  the  husband 
of  any  woman  go  away  upon  a  journey  and  remain 
away  for  more  than  twenty  days,  as  soon  as  that 
term  is  past  the  woman  may  marry  another  man,  and 
the  husband  also  may  then  marry  whom  he  pleases. 

"  I  should  tell  you  that  all  the  provinces  that  I 
have  been  speaking  of,  from  Cascar  forward,  and 
those  I  am  going  to  mention,  as  far  as  the  city  of 
Lop,  belonging  to  Great  Turkey. 

"  Charchan  [Chachan]  is  a  province  of  Great  Tur 
key,  lying  between  northeast  and  east.  The  people 
worship  Mahomet.  There  are  numerous  towns  and 
villages,  and  the  chief  city  of  the  kingdom  bears  its 
name,  Charchan.  The  province  contains  rivers  which 
bring  down  jasper  and  chalcedony,  and  these  are  car 
ried  for  sale  into  Cathay,  where  they  bring  great 
prices.  When  an  army  passes  through  the  land,  the 
people  escape  with  their  wives,  children,  and  cattle, 


MARCO  POLO  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA  27 

a  distance  of  two  or  three  days'  journey  into  the 
sandy  waste  ;  and  knowing  the  spots  where  water 
is  to  be  had,  they  are  able  to  live  there,  and  to  keep 
their  cattle  alive,  while  it  is  impossible  to  discover 
them  ;  for  the  wind  immediately  blows  the  sand  over 
their  track. 

"  And  now  I  will  tell  you  of  a  province  called 
Lop,  in  which  there  is  a  city  also  called  Lop,  which 
you  come  to  at  the  end  of  those  five  days.  It  is  at 
the  entrance  of  the  Great  Desert,  and  it  is  here  that 
travellers  repose  before  entering  in  the  Desert. 

"  Lop  [Lob]  is  a  large  town  at  the  edge  of  the 
Desert  which  is  called  the  Desert  of  Lop  [Gobi,  or 
Shamo,  on  modern  maps],  and  is  situated  between 
east  and  northeast.  It  belongs  to  the  Great  Khan, 
and  the  people  worship  Mahomet.  Now,  such  per 
sons  as  propose  to  cross  the  Desert  take  a  week's  rest 
in  this  town  to  refresh  themselves  and  their  cattle  ; 
and  then  they  make  ready  for  the  journey,  taking 
with  them  a  month's  supply  for  man  and  beast.  On 
quitting  this  city  they  enter  the  Desert. 

"  There  is  a  marvellous  thing  related  of  this  Desert, 
which  is  that,  when  travellers  are  on  the  move  by 
night,  and  one  of  them  chances  to  lag  behind  or  to 
fall  asleep  or  the  like,  when  he  tries  to  gain  his  com 
pany  again  he  will  hear  spirits  talking,  and  will  sup 
pose  them  to  be  his  comrades.  Sometimes  the  spirits 
will  call  him  by  name ;  and  thus  shall  a  traveller  oft- 
times  be  led  astray  so  that  he  never  finds  his  party. 
And  in  this  way  many  have  perished.  Sometimes 
the  stray  travellers  will  hear,  as  it  were,  the  tramp 
and  hum  of  a  great  cavalcade  of  people  away  from 


28  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

the  real  line  of  road,  and  taking  this  to  be  their  own 
company  the}7  will  follow  the  sound  ;  and  when  day 
breaks  they  find  that  a  cheat  has  been  put  on  them 
and  that  they  are  in  an  ill-plight.  Even  in  the  day 
time  one  hears  those  spirits  talking.  And  sometimes 
you  shall  hear  the  sound  of  a  variety  of  musical  in 
struments,  and  still  more  commonly  the  sound  of 
drums.  Hence  in  making  this  journey  'tis  custom 
ary  for  travellers  to  keep  close  together.  All  the 
animals,  too,  have  bells  at  their  necks,  so  that  they 
cannot  easily  get  astray.  And  at  sleeping  time  a 
signal  is  put  up  to  show  the  direction  of  the  next 
march. 

"  So  thus  it  is  that  the  Desert  is  crossed." 
This  is  Marco  Polo's  brief,  yet  remarkably  correct, 
account  of  his  journey  from  Badakhshan,  on  the 
Oxus,  in  Independent  Tartary,  to  the  western  extrem 
ity  of  the  Great  Wall  in  China.  It  is  remarkable  that 
there  is  not  a  single  custom  or  superstition  which  he 
mentions,  that  does  not  exist  at  the  present  day,  or 
has  been  discovered  to  have  existed,  by  later  travel 
lers.  When  we  consider  that  his  account  was  dic 
tated  from  memory,  unassisted  by  notes,  at  least 
twenty -five  years  after  he  made  the  journey,  and 
after  such  a  quantity  of  intervening  adventures  and 
experiences,  his  character  as  a  veracious  narrator  is 
wonderfully  vindicated. 

Still  more  remarkable  is  it,  perhaps,  that  nearly 
six  hundred  years  should  have  elapsed  since  this 
journey  through  Central  Asia,  before  any  portion  of 
the  region  was  again  trodden  by  the  feet  of  a  Euro 
pean  explorer. 


CHAPTER  III. 

MODERN   ATTEMPTS   AT  EXPLORATION 

TWO  centuries  after  Marco  Polo's  journey,  the 
discovery  of  Yasco  de  Gama  completely  changed 
the  course  of  the  commerce  between  Europe  and  the 
Indies.  The  long,  toilsome,  and  perilous  routes  of 
overland  travel  were  relinquished,  with  all  their  op 
portunities  for  interior  exploration ;  the  knowledge 
of  the  civilized  world  commenced  anew  along  the 
coasts  of  the  great  eastern  continent  and  slowly  forced 
its  way  inward. 

The  English  conquests  in  India  gradually  ad 
vanced  the  line  of  exploration,  first  to  the  base  of 
the  Himalayas,  then  westward  along  the  range  to 
the  Indus,  and  finally  to  Cashmere  and  Afghanis 
tan.  From  1830  to  1840,  when  the  East  India 
Government  concerned  itself  much  more  than  was 
necessary  in  the  affairs  of  the  latter  country,  and 
with  such  disastrous  results,  the  cities  of  Cabul, 
Ghuznee,  Kandahar,  and  Herat  were  reached  by 
English  officers,  and  even  some  of  the  passes  trav 
ersed  in  the  Hindoo  Koosh,  dividing  Afghanistan 
from  Tartary. 

One  of  these  officers,  Lieutenant  John  Wood,  in 
the  autumn  of  183T,  reached  Balkh  on  a  mission  to 
the  ruler  of  that  Tartar  principality.  The  lateness  of 


30  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

the  season  obliged  him  to  remain  all  winter  there, 
before  returning  to  Cabul,  and  he  planned  an  expe 
dition  to  the  source  of  the  Oxus,  as  daring  in  con 
ception  as  it  was  successful  in  the  result.  Leaving 
Balkh  with  a  very  small  party,  and  only  the  most 
necessary  supplies,  he  made  a  winter  journey  on  the 
track  of  Marco  Polo,  up  the  valley  of  the  Oxus,  vis 
iting  the  celebrated  ruby  and  turquoise  mines  of. 
Fyzabad,  on  the  way.  In  spite  of  the  hardships  of 
the  road  and  the  severity  of  the  weather,  in  Febru 
ary,  1838,  he  reached  the  source  of  the  Oxus,  the 
lake  Sir-i-kol,  on  the  tableland  of  Pamir,  at  an  ele 
vation  of  15,630  feet  above  the  sea.  The  lake  was 
hard-frozen  ;  the  meadows,  inhabited  in  summer  by 
the  wandering  Kirghizes,  were  deserted  and  covered 
with  snow,  and  it  was  impossible  to  extend  his  ex 
ploration  beyond  that  point. 

Lieutenant  Wood  was  the  first  European  of  mod 
ern  times  to  stand  upon  "  the  Roof  of  the  World." 
It  was  at  first  supposed  that  this  famous  plateau  was 
of  moderate  extent,  and  formed  only  by  the  uniting 
ridges  of  the  Belor  Dagh,  Hindoo  Koosh,  and  Kara- 
koraiu  ranges  ;  but  later  researches  show  that  it  forms 
a  broad,  enormous  tableland,  nearly  two  hundred 
miles  from  north  to  south,  and  varying  from  16,000 
to  18,000  feet  above  the  sea. 

Mr.  Hay  ward,  who  accompanied  Shaw  to  Yarkand 
and  Ivashgar,  and  was  murdered,  in  1870,  in  the 
wild  mountain  region  of  Chitral  (lying  to  the  north 
west  of  Cashmere),  thus  describes  the  eastern  front 
of  the  Roof  of  the  World,  as  seen  from  Yang-hissar, 
in  East  Turkestan :  "Contrary  to  the  usual  supposi- 


MODERN  ATTEMPTS  AT  EXPLORATION       31 

tion,  that  the  eastern  edge  of  the  plateau  of  ParnL 
falls  gradually  down  to  the  plains  of  Turkestan,  the 
mountain-chain,  which  forms  this  eastern  edge,  rises 
to  a  series  of  peaks  near  21,000  feet  in  height,  the 
flanks  of  which  fall  sheer  and  steep  to  the  plain  be 
low.  The  chain  thus  presents  a  precipitous  front 
toward  the  lowlands  of  East  Turkestan,  and  it  seems 
very  improbable  that  any  of  the  Pamir  lakes  have 
an  outlet  toward  the  east :  all  the  waters  of  the 
tableland  must  flow  westward,  into  the  valley  of 
the  Oxus.  It  is  not  possible  for  any  landscape  to 
surpass  in  sublimity  this  mountain-chain,  as  it  towers 
aloft  like  a  gigantic  wall,  and  prints  the  sharp  out 
lines  of  its  snowy  peaks  and  glaciers  upon  the  deep 
blue  of  the  sky." 

At  the  same  time  that  Lieutenant  Wood  made  his 
expedition,  Mr.  G.  T.  Vigne,  Fellow  of  the  Geo 
graphical  Society,  was  employed  in  a  series  of  ex 
plorations  in  Cashmere,  Baltistan,  and  Little  Thibet. 
Cashmere  had  been  twice  or  thrice  visited  before,  by 
officials  of  the  East  India  Company  or  travellers  from 
Europe,  but  none  before  Mr.  Vigne  penetrated  to 
Iskardo  (the  capital  of  Baltistan),  on  the  Upper  In 
dus,  or  advanced  so  far  into  Thibet.  As  the  mosf 
interesting  portions  of  his  narrative  are  given  in  olie 
following  chapters,  we  need  only  allude  to  him,  in 
the  order  of  research,  at  present. 

After  the  conquest  of  Ladak,  or  Little  Thibet,  by 
the  Sikhs,  in  1834,  and  its  transfer,  through  English 
influence,  to  Golab  Sing,  the  Rajah  of  Cashmere, 
the  facilities  of  exploration  were  greatly  increased. 
No  extensive  exploration  of  the  country,  however, 


32  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

was  undertaken,  until  the  journey  of  the  Brothers 
Schlagintweit,  in  1856. 

Hermann,  Adolf,  and  Robert  Schlagintweit,  natives 
of  Bavaria,  devoted  themselves,  as  young  men,  to  the 
study  of  geology  and  physical  geography.  In  1854 
they  were  commissioned  by  the  King  of  Prussia  to 
make  a  scientific  exploration  of  India.  Their  ser 
vices  were  also  accepted,  and  their  plans  materially 
assisted  by  the  East  India  Company.  Reaching 
Bombay  toward  the  close  of  the  year  1854,  they 
first  traversed  the  Deccan  to  Madras,  by  various 
routes.  At  the  latter  place,  the  brothers  separated, 
the  following  spring.  Adolph  and  Robert  proceeded 
to  the  northwestern  extremity  of  India,  and  devoted 
themselves  to  the  examination  of  the  passes,  glaciers, 
and  mountain-system  of  the  Himalaya  ranges.  They 
penetrated  into  Ladak,  and  there  attempted  to  reach 
the  summit  of  the  Ibi-Gamin,  one  of  the  loftiest 
peaks.  Although  the  attempt  was  unsuccessful,  they 
succeeded  in  climbing  to  the  height  of  22,000  feet, 
an  altitude  never  before  attained  by  man  on  the  sur 
face  of  the  earth. 

The  three  brothers  met  again  at  Simla,  in  Northern 
India,  in  May,  1856,  and  then  set  out  together  for 
Cashmere.  They  afterward  visited  Iskardo,  made 
several  excursions  into  the  wild  regions  lying  between 
the  Upper  Indus  and  the  tableland  of  Pamir,  and 
then  explored  the  southern  slopes  of  the  great  Kara- 
koram  range,  in  Little  Thibet.  They  ascertained  that 
the  peak  of  Dapsang,  in  this  range,  which  has  an 
elevation  of  28,278  feet,  is  the  second  highest  moun 
tain  of  the  globe.  Finally,  crossing  the  Karakoram 


MODERN  ATTEMPTS  AT  EXPLORATION       33 

by  a  pass  nearly  19,000  feet  above  the  sea,  they  were 
the  first  Europeans  to  behold  the  great  range  of  the 
Kiien-lun  —  the  last  mountain-barrier  guarding  the 
countries  of  Central  Asia.  They  still  pushed  forward 
and  succeeded  in  crossing  the  Kuen-Iun  also;  and 
here,  at  the  threshold  of  the  most  tempting  field  of 
exploration,  they  found  it  prudent  to  return.  All 
then  together  made  their  way  back  to  India,  where 
Hermann  and  Robert  embarked  for  Europe  in  the 
spring  of  1857. 

Adolf  Schlagintweit,  however,  determined  to  take 
up  the  thread  of  discovery  where  it  had  been  relin 
quished,  and  to  cross  Central  Asia  to  the  Russian 
possessions  lying  north  of  the  Thian  Shan.  Reports 
of  the  successful  Tartar  rebellion  against  Chinese  rule 
had  already  reached  Little  Thibet,  and  the  time 
seemed  to  be  propitious  for  such  an  attempt.  He 
passed  the  Karakoram  and  the  Kiien-liin  in  safety, 
made  his  way  to  Yarkand,  but  was  not  allowed  to 
enter  its  walls,  and  then  pushed  onward  toward  Kash- 
gar.  Although  deserted  by  his  Indian  secretary  and 
interpreter,  and  menaced  with  increasing  danger  as 
he  advanced,  he  reached  Kashgar  and  presented  him 
self  to  Walle  Khan,  the  insurgent  chief  tain,  who  was 
then  besieging  the  Chinese  fort.  What  happened 
then  can  never,  perhaps,  be  correctly  ascertained  :  the 
simple  fact  is  that  the  unfortunate  traveller  was  exe 
cuted  by  Walle  Khan's  order.  All  attempts  to  re 
cover  his  papers  have  proved  fruitless. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

VIGNE'S   JOURNEY    TO   CASHMERE 

MR.  G.  T.  Vigne,  one  of  the  first  and  most 
thorough  explorers  of  the  valley  of  Cash 
mere,  and  the  wild  and  difficult  mountain  regions  of 
the  upper  Indus,  on  the  borders  of  Central  Asia,  left 
England  in  1832,  and  travelled  leisurely,  by  way  of 
Constantinople,  Armenia,  and  Persia,  to  India. 

In  the  summer  of  1835,  finally,  he  set  out  from 
Loodiana,  in  Northern  India,  on  his  way  to  Cashmere. 
Travelling  slowly,  by  way  of  Bilaspore  and  Sultan- 
pore,  he  gradually  penetrated  into  the  mountain 
country  of  the  Upper  Sutlej  ;  which  at  that  time  was 
under  the  dominion  of  Runjeet  Sing. 

The  first  part  of  the  journey  lay  through  those 
open  valleys,  among  the  Lower  Himalayas,  which  are 
called  D/toons  in  India.  The  parallel  and  ever  as 
cending  chains  of  the  mountains  were  divided  by 
spaces  a  few  miles  in  width,  where  the  rich  bottom 
lands  were  dotted  with  hillocks  of  sandstone,  covered 
with  forests  of  firs,  and  occasionally  seamed  with 
deep  and  stony  ravines,  down  which  the  little  streams 
foamed  and  sparkled  on  their  way  to  add  their 
tributes  to  the  classic  flood  of  the  Indus.  The  path, 
which  in  many  places  showed  the  remains  of  a  pave 
ment  made  by  the  Mogul  emperors,  during  the 


VIGNE  'S  JOURNEY  TO  OASHMERE  35 

golden  days  of  Delhi  and  Cashmere,  wound  among 
the  hollows  and  eminences  of  the  jungle;  sometimes 
direct,  smooth,  and  practicable  for  horses,  then  so 
rough  and  slippery  that  the  traveller  was  obliged  to 
dismount  and  make  his  way  on  foot. 

"  The  view,"  says  Mr.  Yigne,  "  was  incessantly 
changing.  The  landmark  of  any  description  that  I 
had  noticed  in  the  distance  was  often  lost  when  I  had 
sought  for  it  from  the  opposite  side  of  the  dell ;  one 
mountain-top  was  quickly  hidden  by  another,  and 
the  recess  between  was  often  shut  up  by  some  unfore 
seen  but  nearer  object. 

"  The  noble  Trekotar,  frowning  over  the  castle  of 
Rihursi  and  the  debouchure  of  the  Chunab  River, 
would  now  become  conspicuous,  on  account  of  its 
triple  summit,  and  an  elevation  far  exceeding  what  is 
usual  among  the  lower  hills  upon  the  borders  ;  and 
the  southern  portion  of  the  snowy  Panjal  of  Cash 
mere  would  now  come  in  sight,  bounding  the  pros 
pect  to  the  northward,  and  circling,  like  a  mighty 
wall,  around  the  celebrated  valley  beyond  it,  where 

'  Summer,  in  a  vale  of  flowers, 
Lay  sleeping  rosy  at  its  feet.' 

"  Upon  the  loftier  division  of  the  long,  extended 
ridges  of  sandstone  that  crept  along  the  plain  parallel 
to  the  lower  range,  at  a  varying  distance  of  five,  ten, 
or  fifteen  miles,  were  frequently  to  be  seen  the  ruins 
of  an  ancient  fortress,  originally  the  residence  of 
some  chieftain,  who  probably  owned  no  authority  but 
that  of  the  Moguls ;  or  the  less  picturesque  but 


36  TRA  VELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

somewhat  more  scientifically  built  strongholds  of  the 
Sikhs,  with  towers,  curtains,  loopholes,  and  embra 
sures,  an  inaccessible  precipice  beneath  them,  with  a 
thick  jungle  or  a  torrent  at  its  foot. 

"The  country  had  frequently  been  cleared  to  a 
very  considerable  extent,  and  large  open  spaces  in 
the  valleys  were  occupied  by  numerous  corn-fields  and 
rice-grounds,  continued  in  plateaux  up  the  slope,  in 
order  to  obtain  the  benefit  of  irrigation  from  the  de 
scending  stream.  Conspicuous  topes,  or  clusters  of 
the  larger  trees,  were  scattered  over  the  country  ;  the 
sacred  peepul  marked  the  locality  of  the  Devi,  or 
Hindoo  shrine  ;  the  cattle  chewed  the  cud  in  security 
around  it ;  the  dark-green  and  massive  foliage  of  the 
mango-trees  threw  a  perpetual  and  grateful  shade 
upon  the  village  and  the  village  well  ;  while  the  ban 
yan,  so  beautifully  described  by  Milton,  dropped  its 
dusty  and  fantastic  branches  within  the  clefts  and 
interstices  of  the  antiquated  masonry  by  which  the 
latter  was  encircled. 

"  But  the  indications  of  collective  dwelling  were 
not  to  be  gathered  only  from  the  eye ;  for,  as  I* 
approached  a  village,  I  frequently  heard  a  loud  and 
discordant  sound  of  voices  in  advance  of  me,  and  soon 
found  that  it  proceeded  from  a  dozen  or  two  of  old 
women,  who  were  drawn  up  in  line,  linked  together 
by  their  arms  thrown  around  each  other's  necks,  and 
who  in  this  manner  screamed  forth  (I  cannot  call  it 
singing)  a  chorus,  the  words  of  which,  I  believe,  con 
tained  a  greeting  to  the  passing  stranger,  and  an  ap 
peal  to  his  humanity  for  relief." 

After  a  further  journey  of  four  or  five  days,  pass* 


VIGNE'S  JOURNEY  TO  CASHMERE  37 

ing  by  some  small  but  beautiful  lakes,  which  are  con 
sidered  holy  places  by  the  Hindoos,  Mr.  Yigne  ap 
proached  the  town  of  Jamu,  on  the  borders  of  Cash 
mere.     The  Rajah,  Golab  Sing,  sent  him  a  palanquin 
for  the  last  stage  of  the  road,  but  he  preferred  enter 
ing  the  place  on  horseback.     On  arriving  at  Jamu, 
quarters  were  assigned  to  him  in  a  garden  below  the 
hill  on  which  the  palace  is  built.     "  In  the  evening," 
he  writes,  "  Urjum  Sing,  the  eldest  son  of  the  Rajah, 
came  to  pay  me  a  visit.     He  seemed  to  have  an  in 
clination  to  corpulency,  had  regular  features,  but  a 
round  full  face,  and  a  heavy  look.     He  was,  never 
theless,  said  to  be  a  young  man  of  excellent  abilities ; 
but  an  assumed  and  stupid  air  of  indifference  was 
upon  him  during  our  interview,  though  I  attempted, 
through  the  medium  of  my  interpreter,  to  draw  him 
out  in   conversation.     It  is  often  observable  in  the 
East,  that  an    imperturbable   countenance,   and   an 
apparent  carelessness  of  what  is  going  forward,  do 
duty  for  greatness  and  dignity ;  and  I  have  usually 
remarked   that   among    men   in   power,    those   who 
laugh  and  talk  like  Europeans,  and  are  the  least  con 
strained  in  their  deportment,  are  the  best  and  most 
superior  men. 

"  The  next  morning  I  ascended  to  the  palace  by  a 
long  paved  way  that  led  up  the  hill. 

"  The  court-yard  of  the  palace  was  alive  with  the 
crowds  of  officers  and  attendants,  gorgeously  appar 
elled  in  red  and  yellow  shawls  and  silks,  and  armed 
with  spears,  swords,  shields,  and  matchlocks.  Two 
guns  were  discharged  close  to  me,  just  as  I  entered, 
by  way  of  salute ;  and  Golab  Sing  received  me  in  the 


38  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

open,  pillared  hall  of  the  palace,  and  excused  him 
self  for  not  having  called  upon  me,  by  saying  that  he 
had  caught  a  rheumatism  and  stiffness  in  the  limbs, 
in  consequence  of  inarching  with  Runjeet  Sing  to 
Peshawur ;  all  of  which  he  supposed  I  should  believe, 
as  well  as  the  assertion  which  he  shortly  afterward 
made,  that  his  ancestors  had  reigned  at  Jamu  for  five 
thousand  years ! 

"  He  afterward  asked  me  whether  it  was  true  that 
the  king  of  France  paid  tribute  to  the  king  of  Eng 
land,  and  some  other  questions  equally  absurd,  by 
way  of  ascertaining  whether  I  was  disposed  to  deceive 
him.  He  exhibited  his  arms  and  discussed  their  va 
rious  merits.  Among  them  were  some  bell-mouthed 
blunderbusses,  one  of  which  he  loaded  and  fired  in 
the  usual  manner.  It  cannot  be  rested  against  the 

c3 

shoulder,  as  it  carries  a  heavy  charge,  but  is  held  low, 
at  arm's  length,  by  both  hands,  one  grasping  the  bar 
rel  and  the  other  the  stock,  so  that  it  may  swing  as  it 
recoils ;  the  right  leg  being  kicked  up  behind  in  a 
very  ridiculous  manner  at  the  same  time." 

The  country  rapidly  became  more  wild  and 
broken  ;  the  precipitous  ascents  and  descents  made 
the  road  very  fatiguing,  and  there  were  frequent 
chasms  which  must  be  crossed  by  rope  bridges.  Mr. 
Yigne  attempted  to  sketch  three  women  whom  he 
met ;  but  no  sooner  had  he  commenced  than  they 
ran  away,  climbed  some  trees  with  the  activity  of 
monkeys,  and  could  not  be  induced  to  come  down 
again.  He  gives  the  following  description  of  the 
native  villages :  "  They  are  clusters  of  flat-roofed 
huts,  the  poorer  kinds  looking  very  dirty,  with 


VIGNE'S  JOURNEY  TO   CASUMERE  39 

smoke  marks  on  the  walls,  and  cakes  of  cow-dung 
sticking  to  them,  for  the  purpose  of  being  dried  and 
used  as  fuel.  The  better  kind  of  hut  is  distinguished 
by  its  new  and  clean  mud  walls :  the  ends  of  the 
rafters  project  neatly  from  the  sides  of  the  building, 
and  the  roof  itself  is  free  from  holes,  except  the  one 
used  as  a  chimney. 

"  On  the  roofs,  and  around  arid  below,  are  to  be 
seen  men  scarcely  clothed,  sitting,  sleeping,  cooking, 
and  eating ;  women  spinning,  knitting,  and  kneading, 
or  combing  and  braiding  their  own  black  and  well- 
oiled  hair.  Children  amuse  themselves  with  quarrel 
ling  and  grovelling  in  the  dust,  in  company  with  dogs 
and  poultry.  The  best-dressed  man  in  the  village  is 
usually  the  shopkeeper,  who  may  be  seen  sitting  on 
his  shop-board,  with  his  bowl  of  copper  and  cowries 
for  small  change,  and  heaps  of  flour,  Indian  corn,  red- 
pepper,  spices,  and  other  articles  of  Indian  cookery. 
•  "  The  common  wants  of  travellers,  of  whatever 
faith,  country,  or  calling,  oblige  them  to  halt  near  a 
well  for  the  night.  There  the  itinerant  merchant 
cooks  his  supper,  places  a  guard  over  his  merchan 
dise,  and  lies  down  to  rest ;  and  the  sepoy  on  leave, 
the  robber  by  profession,  and  the  Thug*  disguised 
as  best  suits  his  purpose  for  the  morrow,  are  soon  in 
a  state  of  repose.  The  pious  follower  of  Mahomet 
is  seen  bending  and  bowing  at  his  evening  prayers, 
rising  from  them  more  probably  a  better  Mussulman 
than  a  better  man  ;  the  Brahmin,  distinguished  by 

*  Since  1831  energetic  measures  have  been  in  force  for  the  sup 
pression  of  Thuggee,  which  is  now  nearly,  or  quite,  extinct  in 
British  India. 


40  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

the  string  which  is  a  sign  of  his  caste,  mutters  his 
prayers  as  he  performs  his  ablutions ;  and  the  Hin 
doo  fakeer,  with  his  person  plastered  over  with  mud, 
and  the  wild  and  ferocious  expression  of  his  counte 
nance  rendered  more  sinister  by  the  use  of  hasheesh 
and  opium,  is  often  to  be  seen  for  days  together  in 
the  same  place  near  the  well,  because  he  is  aware 
that  the  sanctity  of  his  character  and  appearance  will 
secure  him  alms,  or  a  supply  of  food,  from  those  who 
must  resort  to  it." 

The  next  place  Mr.  Yigne  reached  was  Rajawur, 
where  he  was  very  well  received  by  the  Rajah,  a 
strongly-made,  intelligent  man,  wiio  had  six  toes  on 
each  foot. 

Eleven  miles  beyond  Rajawur  is  the  town  of 
Thana,  at  the  foot  of  the  lofty  Panjal  range,  which 
separates  the  vale  of  Cashmere  from  the  plains  of 
India.  After  leaving  Thana,  the  ascent  of  the  first 
range  soon  begins,  and  the  traveller  and  his  path  are 
hidden  in  the  recesses  of  the  jungle.  To  continue 
Mr.  Vigne's  narrative  :  "  The  first  object  I  remarked 
was  a  well,  with  some  old  equestrian  reliefs  on  the" 
stonework  around  it ;  then,  upon  turning  a  corner,  I 
saw  some  old  and  tattered  garments  by  the  wayside, 
and  a  human  foot,  the  remnant  of  a  body  that  had 
been  devoured  by  jackals,  vultures,  and  hyenas.  I 
found  afterward  that  not  a  day  passed  while  I  was 
on  the  way  to  Cashmere,  and  even  when  travelling 
in  the  valley,  that  I  did  not  see  the  bleached  remains 
of  some  unfortunate  wretch  who  had  fallen  a  victim 
either  to  sickness  or  starvation. 

"  I  halted  to  sketch  the  view,  and  then  commenced 


VIGNE'S  JOURNEY  TO  CASHMERE  41 

the  descent,  to  Barnmgiilu,  the  i  defile  of  rains  ' — re 
joicing  in  the  sight  of  snow,  which  was  now  so  near 
me,  and  invigorated  by  the  mere  reflection  that  I 
should  cross  the  Panjal  on  the  third  day  afterward. 
A  lofty  forest  of  pines  and  deodars  covered  the  whole 
face  of  the  mountains  in  the  foreground.  The  horse- 
chestnut  tree  was  also  very  numerous,  and  the  bark 
upon  its  long  straight  stem  was  split  into  flakes,  and 
curled  so  as  to  bear  a  strong  resemblance  to  that  of 
the  hickory  in  the  American  forests. 

"  Beyond  Barumgulu,  the  elevation  of  which  above 
the  sea  is  6,800  feet,  the  way  to  Cashmere  continues 
northward,  up  the  bed  of  a  stream  which  descends 
the  ravine  with  great  impetuosity. 

"  It  is  customary,  for  those  who  can  afford  it,  to 
sacrifice  a  sheep  or  goat  before  ascending  to  the  Pan 
jal  summit,  and  the  head  is  carried  to  the  fakeer, 
who  lives  in  a  stone  hut  close  to  the  tower,  during 
the  summer  months.  I  complied  with  the  custom, 
at  the  request  of  the  Mahometan  part  of  my  retinue ; 
the  priest  said  a  prayer  for  a  safe  ascent  on  the  mor 
row,  and  the  goat  was  immediately  made  lawful  eat 
ing,  that  is,  had  its  throat  cut  under  a  white  flag  in 
front  of  my  quarters. 

"  There  was  another  steep  but  not  very  long  dip 
into  a  valley,  and  on  the  opposite  side  of  it  com 
menced  an  ascent,  which  hardly  ceased  until  it 
reached  the  summit  of  the  Panjal.  The  path  was 
in  very  good  condition,  and  I  was  able  to  ride  nearly 
the  whole  distance.  An  hoar's  travel  from  Poshiana 
brought  me  to  the  edge  of  the  lowest  snow,  which 

was  arched  and  hardened  over  a  small  stream  of  its 
4 


42  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

own  creation.     The  forest  be<z;an  to  be  much  thinned, 

O 

but  vegetation  was  still  profuse,  and  roses  and  many 
other  wild  flowers  were  in  full  bloom.  The  hill,  near 
the  summit,  is  bare  of  trees,  but  a  fine  turf  is  visible 
where  the  snow  has  melted.  Another  final  ascent, 
and  I  suddenly  found  myself  on  the  summit  of  the 
Fir  Panjal. 

"The  view  from  the  Panjal  in  the  direction  of 
the  plains,  is,  of  course,  magnificent.  The  different 
ranges  which  I  had  crossed  on  the  way,  and  even 
the  points  where  I  had  crossed  them,  were  visible  in 
the  distance.  I  looked  down  on  the  roofs  of  Poshi- 
ana,  where  I  had  slept,  and  could  distinguish  the 
situation,  and  even  the  buildings  and  smoke,  of 
Rajawur.  Indistinctness  pervaded  every  part  of  the 
gray-colored  expanse  of  the  plains,  and  I  vainly 
tried,  with  my  telescope,  to  detect  the  minarets  of 
imperial  Lahore,  which  may  be  perceived  with  the 
naked  eye  in  very  clear  weather,  though  about  one 
hundred  and  thirty  miles  distant. 

"  The  limit  of  forest,  or  the  height  above  which 
forest-trees  will  not  grow,  as  laid  down  by  Hodgson 
and  others  from  their  observations  in  Alpine  India, 
on  the  east  of  the  Sutlej,  is  11,500  feet.  The  sum 
mit  of  the  Panjal  Pass  is  about  three  hundred  feet 
above  the  limit  of  forest ;  my  thermometer  gave  me 
about  twelve  thousand  feet ;  so  that  I  am  justified  in 
laying  down  its  height  at  11,800  feet,  or  thereabouts. 
The  temperature  at  mid-day,  July  16th,  was  G(>°. 
Birches  and  firs  seemed  to  contend  for  the  highest 
place  ;  the  birch  has  the  best  of  it  generally.  Above 
this,  the  only  plant  that  I  remember  in  the  shape  of 


VIGNE'S  JOURNEY  TO  CASHMERE  43 

a  tree  is  the  dwarf  juniper,  and  this  is  to  be  seen  at 
different  altitudes,  up  to  12,000  feet,  on  the  moun 
tains  around  Cashmere  and  in  Thibet.  The  descent 
from  the  Panjal  toward  the  vale  of  Cashmere,  which 
is  very  gentle,  commences  immediately,  and  the 
snow-capped  mountain  tops  are  divided  by  an  in 
clined  and  verdant  plain,  on  which  bloomed  numer 
ous  varieties  of  flowers.  Among  them  I  joyfully 
noticed  many  that  were  common  in  England  ;  and 
as  I  trod  the  green  carpet  beneath  me,  I  found  my 
self  refreshed  by  inhaling  the  cool  breeze  richly  bur 
dened  with  all  the  perfume  of  an  English  clover-field. 

"  The  defile  on  the  northern  side  is  extremely 
narrow,  and  the  stream  occupies  the  whole  of  the 
space  between  its  banks ;  but  it  soon  afterward  opens 
on  a  splendid  view.  Finally,  after  crossing  the 
stream  by  a  wooden  bridge,  I  found  myself  at  the 
small  village  of  Huripore,  where  the  steepness  of  the 
descent  ceases.  The  next  morning,  after  proceed 
ing  for  two  or  three  miles  through  the  woods,  the 
plains  of  Cashmere  came  full  in  sight.  The  lofty 
mountains  on  the  other  side  of  the  valley,  distant 
from  thirty  to  thirty-five  miles,  were  shrouded  in 
clouds,  and  a  part  only  of  the  snowy  ridge,  with  a 
few  isolated  peaks,  were  to  be  seen  here  and  there  at 
intervals. 

"  The  first  object  on  nearing  Shupeyon,  the  next 
town,  was  a  wooden  mosque,  by  the  wayside,  whence 
there  is  a  view  in  the  direction  of  the  city  of  Cash 
mere.  This  mosque  is  of  the  same  pattern  as  that 
which  I  afterward  found  to  be  common  throughout 
the  valley.  It  partakes  of  the  aspect  and  architect- 


44  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

ure  of  the  pagodas  of  China,  but  the  slope  of  the  roof 
is  straight  instead  of  being  concave. 

"  The  valley  of  Cashmere  is  generally  a  verdant 
plain,  ninety  miles  in  length  and  twenty-five  miles  in 
its  greatest  width,  at  the  southern  end,  between  the 
cataract  of  Arabul  and  the  ruins  of  the  great  temple 
of  Martund ;  surrounded  on  every  side  bv  snowy 
mountains,  into  which  there  are  numerous  inlets, 
forming  glens  on  a  level  with  the  plain,  but  each 
with  a  lofty  pass  at  its  upper  extremity.  There  are 
many  elevated  points  of  view  from  which  this  ex 
traordinary  hollow  gave  me,  at  first  sight,  an  idea 
of  its  having  been  originally  formed  by  the  falling  in 
of  an  exhausted  volcanic  region. 

"  The  interest  taken  in  a  view  of  the  valley  of 
Cashmere  would  certainly  be  rather  that  of  the  agri 
culturist  than  of  the  prospect-hunter  ;  but  nothing 
can  be  more  truly  sylvan  than  the  greater  part  of  the 
mountain  scenery.  It  has  not,  however,  the  verdure 
of  the  tropics.  The  trees,  it  is  true,  in  many  in 
stances,  may  differ  from  those  of  Europe ;  but  with 
the  exception  of  occasional  beautiful  masses  of  deodarg, 
the  aspect  of  the  forest,  at  a  little  distance,  is  wholly 
European.  Looking  from  the  hill  of  Shupeyon,  in 
numerable  villages  were  scattered  over  the  plains  in 
every  direction,  distinguishable  in  the  extreme  dis 
tance  by  the  trees  that  surrounded  them :  all  was  soft 
and  verdant,  even  up  to  the  snow  on  the  mountain-top; 
and  I  gazed  in  surprise,  excited  by  the  vast  extent  and 
admirably  defined  limits  of  the  valley,  and  the  almost 
perfect  proportions  of  height  to  distance,  by  which  its 
scenery  appeared  to  be  universally  characterized." 


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CHAPTER  V. 

THE    VALLEY    OF    CASHMERE    AND    THE    RUINS     OF 
MARTUND 

MR.  VIGNE  is  a  confused  and  somewhat  perplex 
ing  narrator.  The  thread  of  his  journey  is 
constantly  lost  amid  a  multitude  of  small  geographical 
details,  and  interwoven  with  the  accounts  of  other 
journeys,  made  in  other  seasons,  in  the  same  region. 
We  shall,  therefore,  endeavor  to  select  those  passages 
which  possess  the  most  interest  and  value,  concerning 
the  vale  of  Cashmere,  and  resume  the  direct  narra 
tive  when  we  find  the  traveller  compelled,  by  the 
nature  of  his  subject,  to  confine  himself  to  it. 

In  passing  onward  through  the  valley,  Mr.  Vigne  * 
encountered  scenes  of  ruin  and  desolation  in  striking 
contrast  with  its  natural  beauty  and  fertility.  Earth 
quake,  cholera,  famine,  and  the  invasions  of  Runjeet 
Sing,  had  terribly  devastated  the  once  thickly  peopled 
country.  Many  of  the  houses  were  tenantless  and 
deserted  ;  the  fruit  was  dropping  unheeded  from  the 
trees ;  the  orchards  were  overgrown  with  a  profusion 
of  wild  hemp  and  wild  indigo ;  but  the  graveyards 
were  still  covered  witli  blue  and  white  iris-flowers, 

*  Mr.  Vigne's  visit  was  shortly  after  the  Sikh  conquest  of  Cash 
mere,  which  accounts  for  the  ruined  state  of  the  country  at  the 
time. 


46  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

which  are  always  planted  over  them,  partly  for  orna 
ment,  and  partly  because  the  roots,  being  matted  to 
gether,  prevent  the  turf  from  falling  in.  Enough  re 
mained,  however,  to  show  how  neat  and  comfortable 
the  villages  had  once  been.  There  was  always  a 
clear,  rapid  brook  at  hand,  with  green  turf  on  its 
banks,  shaded  by  fine  walnut-trees,  and  the  lry?i,  re 
sembling  the  English  elm.  Around  the  base  of  the 
gigantic  chunar-trees  there  was  always  a  raised  bench 
of  wood  or  stone,  for  the  village  gossips,  a  few  of 
whom  still  lingered  in  their  half-deserted  homes — 
some  sleeping,  and  others  praying,  or  smoking. 

"I  have  been  twice  in  Cashmere  when  the  new 
snow  has  fallen,"  says  Mr.  Yigne,  apropos  of  a  de 
scription  of  some  of  the  other  mountain  passes. 
"  About  December  10th  the  summits  of  the  Panjal 
are  enveloped  in  a  thick  mist,  and  the  snow  usually 
falls  before  the  20th.  This  is  the  great  fall  which 
usually  closes  the  passes  for  the  winter.  It  frequently 
happens  that  a  casual  fall  takes  place  a  month  or  three 
weeks  earlier :  this  remains  on  the  ground  for  three 
or  four  days,  and  then  disappears  before  the  sun.  I 
am  now  speaking  of  the  snow  upon  the  plains  of 
Cashmere.  It  occasionally  falls  on  the  mountains  as 
early  as  September,  and  the  cold  blasts  which  it  pro 
duces  do  great  injury  to  the  later  rice-crops. 

"  They  have  a  custom  throughout  these  countries, 
which  answers  in  some  respects  to  what  we  call  mak 
ing  an  April  fool.  When  the  new  snow  falls,  one 
person  will  try  to  deceive  another  into  holding  a  lit 
tle  in  his  hand  ;  and  accordingly  he  will  present  it  to 
him  (making  some  remark  by  way  of  a  blind  at  the 


THE  VALLEY  OF  CASHMERE  47 

same  time)  concealed  in  a  piece  of  cloth,  or  a  stick,  or 
an  apple,  folded  in  the  leaves  of  a  book,  or  wrapped 
up  in  a  letter.  If  the  person  inadvertently  takes  what 
is  thus  presented  to  him,  the  other  has  a  right  to 
show  him  the  snow  he  has  thus  received,  and  to  rut 
it  in  his  face,  or  to  pelt  him  with  it,  accompanied  by 
the  remark  :  £  New  snow  is  innocent ! '  and  to  de 
mand,  also,  a  forfeit  of  an  entertainment,  or  a  dance, 
or  some  other  boon,  of  the  person  he  has  deceived. 
The  most  extreme  caution  is,  of  course,  used  by  every 
one  upon  that  day. 

"  On  the  highest  part  of  the  plain,  where  it  com 
mences  a  rise  to  its  junction  with  the  mountains,  are 
situated  the  ruins  of  the  Hindoo  temple  of  Martund, 
or  Surya  (the  Sun),  or,  as  it  is  commonly  called,  the 
1  Pandoo-Koroo,'  or  the  house  of  the  Pandoos  and 
Koroos — of  whom  it  is  not  necessary  to  say  more 
than  that  they  are  the  Cyclops  of  the  East.  Every 
old  building  of  whose  origin  the  poorer  classes  of 
Hindoos,  in  general,  have  no  information,  is  believed 
to  have  been  the  work  of  the  Pandoos.  As  an  iso 
lated  ruin,  this  deserves,  on  account  of  its  solitary  and 
massive  grandeur,  to  be  ranked,  not  only  as  the  first 
ruin  of  the  kind  in  Cashmere,  but  as  one  of  the  no 
blest  among  the  architectural  relics  of  antiquity  which 
are  to  be  seen  in  any  country.  Its  noble  and  exposed 
situation  at  the  foot  of  the  hills  reminded  me  of  that 
of  the  Escurial :  it  has  no  forest  of  cork-trees  and 
evergreen  oaks  before  it,  nor  is  it  to  be  compared  in 
point  of  size  to  that  stupendous  building ;  but  it  is 
visible  from  as  great  a  distance,  and  the  Spanish  Si 
erras  cannot  for  a  moment  be  placed  in  competition 


4:8  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

with  the  verdant  magnificence  of  the  mountain  scen 
ery  of  Cashmere. 

"  The  greater  part  of  the  old  ruins  in  Cashmere 
were  built  between  the  times  of  Asoka  (250  B.C.)  and 
the  end  of  the  reign  of  Avante  Verma,  in  A.D.  875  ; 
but  the  same  style  is  apparent  in  all  of  them,  and  the 
same  formation  of  the  arch  has  been  followed  in  all. 
The  style  of  architecture  used  in  the  religious  build 
ings  in  Europe  for  the  first  thousand  years  of  the 
Christian  period  is  the  Romanesque  ;  and  much  of 
the  description  of  it  by  Professor  Whewell  appears  to 
me  to  apply  generally  to  the  buildings  in  Cashmere. 
Few  of  these  ruins,  I  should  say,  if  any,  were  Budd 
hist  ;  those  in  or  upon  the  edge  of  the  water  were 
rather,  I  should  suppose,  referable  to  the  worship  of 
the  Nagas,  or  snake-gods. 

"  1  had  been  struck  with  the  great  general  resem 
blance  which  the  temple  bore  to  the  recorded  disposi 
tion  of  the  ark,  and  its  surrounding  curtains,  in  imi 
tation  of  which  the  temple  at  Jerusalem  was  built ; 
and  it  became  for  a  moment  a  question  whether  the 
Cashmerian  temples  had  not  been  built  by  Jewish 
architects,  who  had  recommended  them  to  be  con 
structed  on  the  same  plan,  for  the  sake  of  conveni 
ence  merely.  It  is,  however,  a  curious  fact  that  in 
Abyssinia,  the  ancient  Ethiopia,  which  was  also  called 
Kush,  the  ancient  Christian  churches,  as  I  am  in 
formed  by  Mr.  Wolff,  are  not  unlike  those  of  Cash 
mere. 

"  As  I  would  conclude  from  its  insulated  situation, 
its  climate,  and  other  advantages  alone,  that  Cashmere 
has  been  a  place  of  consequence  from  the  very  earli- 


THE  VALLEY  OF  CASHMERE  49 

est  agesr  so  would  I  also  infer  that  its  architecture,  or 
some  of  its  peculiarities,  like  that  of  Egypt,  is  more 
likely  to  have  afforded  a  prototype  than  to  be  a  copy 
of  any  known  style  ;  and  that  it  may  be  pronounced 
to  be  peculiar  to  the  valley.  I,  at  least,  know  of  noth 
ing  exactly  like  it  in  Hindustan,  nor  anything  resem 
bling  it  in  any  country  to  the  westward  of  the  Indus. 
"  Without  being  able  to  boast,  either  in  extent  or 
magnificence,  of  an  approach  to  equality  with  the 
temple  of  the  sun  at  Palmyra,  or  the  ruins  of  the 
palace  at  Persepolis,  the  Pandoo-Koroo  of  Martund 
is  not  without  pretensions  to  a  locality  of  scarcely 
inferior  interest,  and  deserves  to  be  ranked  with  them, 
as  the  leading  specimen  of  a  gigantic  style  of  archi 
tecture  that  has  decayed  with  the  religion  it  was  in 
tended  to  cherish,  and  the  prosperity  of  a  country 
which  it  could  not  but  adorn.  In  situation  it  is  far 
superior  to  either :  Palmyra  is  surrounded  by  an 
ocean  of  sand,  and  Persepolis  overlooks  a  marsh  ;  but 
the  Temple  of  the  Sun,  or  Martund,  is  built  on  a 
natural  platform  at  the  foot  of  some  of  the  noblest 
mountains,  and  beneath  its  ken  lies  what  is  undoubt 
edly  the  finest  and  most  picturesque  valley  in  the 
known  world.  The  prospect  from  the  green  slope 
behind  it  is  seen  to  the  greatest  advantage  upon  the 
approach  of  evening,  when  the  whole  landscape  is  yet 
in  sunshine,  but  about  to  undergo  a  change  ;  when  the 
broad  daylight  still  rests  upon  the  snowy  peaks  of  the 
Panjal,  but  commences  a  retreat  before  their  widen 
ing  shadows  in  the  valley  beneath  them.  The  lumi 
nous  and  yellow  spot  in  which  we  recognize  the 
foliage  of  the  distant  chunar-tree  is  suddenly  extin- 


50  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

guished  ;  village  after  village  becomes  wrapped  in 
comparative  obscurity ;  and  the  last  brilliant  beams 
of  an  Asiatic  setting  sun  repose  for  a  while  upon  the 
gray  walls  that  seem  to  have  been  raised  on  purpose 
to  receive  them,  and  display  the  ruins  of  their  own 
temple  in  the  boldest  and  most  beautiful  relief. 

"  Though  there  are,  perhaps,  not  less  than  seventy 
or  eighty  of  these  old  Hindoo  buildings  in  the  valley, 
yet,  after  having  seen  Martund,  there  are  but  four  or 
five  others  of  sufficient  interest  to  claim  a  visit  from 
the  traveller." 


CHAPTER  VI. 

SRINAGUR,    THE    CAPITAL    OF    CASHMERE— CITY,    EN 
VIRONS,   SHAWLS,   AND  INHABITANTS 

THE  town  of  Islamabad  is  situated  on  the  river 
Jelum,  which  rises  within  the  valley  of  Cash 
mere,  and  a  boat,  with  good  rowers,  will  descend  to 
the  famous  city  of  Srinagur,  the  capital,  in  twelve 
hours.  The  traveller,  however,  sees  little  except 
mud-banks  of  ten  to  twenty  feet  in  height,  which 
effectually  shut  out  any  prospect,  except  that  of  the 
mountain-tops. 

"  As  I  approached  the  city,"  says  Mr.  Vigne,  "  I 
was  struck  by  the  Tukt-i-Suliman  (Throne  of  Solo 
mon),  an  isolated  hill,  about  three-quarters  of  a  mile 
in  length,  and  four  hundred  and  fifty  feet  in  height, 
bare  of  trees,  but  covered  with  long  grass  where  the 
rock  permitted  it  to  grow.  It  is  divided  from  the 
mountains  by  a  wide  ravine,  from  which  opens  a 
view  of  the  city  lake,  and  through  which  is  constantly 
blowing  a  breeze  that  must  tend  to  prevent  stagna 
tion  of  its  waters.  This  singular  hill  is  called  by  the 
Hindoos  Sir-i-Shur,  of  Siva's  head,  in  contradistinc 
tion  to  Huri-Purbut,  the  Hill  of  Huri,  or  Vishnu,  on 
the  opposite  side  of  the  city. 

"  Softness,  mantling  over  the  sublime,  is  the  pre 
vailing  characteristic  of  the  scenery  of  Cashmere ; 


52  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

verdure  and  forest  appear  to  have  deserted  the  coun 
tries  on  the  northward,  in  order  to  embellish  the 
slopes  from  its  snowy  mountains,  give  additional 
richness  to  its  plains,  and  combine  with  its  delightful 
climate  to  render  it  not  unworthy  of  the  rhyming 
epithets  applied  to  it  in  the  East : 

1  Kashmir,  U-nuzir — without  an  equal ; 
Kashmir,  junat  puzi — equal  to  Paradise.' 

"  Beautiful,  indeed,  is  the  panoramic  view  that 
meets  the  eye  of  the  spectator  from  the  Throne  of 
Solomon,  and  which,  taken  far  and  near,  is  one 

'  sweet  interchange 

Of  hill  and  valley,  rivers,  woods,  and  plains, 
Now  land,  now  lake,  and  shores  with  forest  crowned, 
Rocks,  dens,  and  caves.' 

"  The  city,  which  lies  to  the  northwest,  may  be 
said  to  commence  at  the  foot  of  this  hill ;  and  on 
the  other  side  of  it,  two  miles  to  the  northward,  is 
the  fort  of  Cashmere,  built  upon  Iluri-Purbut,  whose 
top  is  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet  above  the 
level  of  the  lake,  which  occupies  the  space  that  inter 
venes  between  these  two  '  portals  of  light '  and  the 
mountains  surrounding  the  valley. 

"  The  aspect  of  the  city  itself  is  curious,  but  not 
particularly  striking.  It  presents  an  innumerable 
assemblage  of  house-gables,  interspersed  with  the 
pointed  and  metallic  tops  of  mosques,  melon-grounds, 
sedgy  inlets  from  the  lake,  and  narrow  canals,  fringed 
with  rows  of  willows  and  poplars.  The  surface  of 
the  lake  itself  is  perfectly  tranquil,  and  the  very 


-  SRINAGUR,    THE  CAPITAL  OF  CASHMERE     53 

vivid  reflections  which  cover  its  surface  are  only  dis 
turbed  by  the  dabbling  of  wild  fowl,  or  the  ripple 
that  follows  the  track  of  the  distant  boat.  At  one 
glance  we  have  before  us  the  whole  of  the  local  pict 
ures  described  in  '  Lalla  Ilookh.' 

"  The  river  passes  within  half  a  mile  of  the  foot 
of  Solomon's  Throne,  and  is  nearly  two  hundred  and 
fifty  yards  in  breadth  before  it  enters  the  city.  An 
avenue  of  poplars,  nearly  a  mile  in  length,  runs 
through  the  corn-fields  parallel  to  it,  from  the  foot 
of  the  Throne  to  the  Amir's  bridge,  close  to  which 
is  the  city  fort,  or  residence  of  the  governor,  at  the 
entrance  of  the  city,  where  the  stream  narrows  to 
about  eighty  yards.  Beyond  the  bridge  we  trace  it 
to  the  northwest,  by  occasional  glimpses,  nearly  as 
far  as  the  Great  Lake,  which  is  twenty  miles  distant. 
The  hoary  range  of  the  Panjal,  in  front,  is  joined 
with  the  mountains  of  Kishtawar  on  the  south,  and 
on  the  northwest  is  continued  into  the  still  loftier 
snow-peaks  of  Durawar,  on  the  left  bank  of  the  In 
dus,  so  as  to  form  but  one  vast  mural  cordillera,  and 
a  fitting  boundary  for  the  noblest  valley  in  the 
world. 

"  Noor  Jehan  (the  light  of  the  world),  the  Nour- 
rnahal  (light  of  the  palace)  of  '  Lalla  Kookh,'  is  the 
most  renowned  name  in  the  valley,  that  of  her  au 
gust  consort,  Jehangir,  not  excepted.  In  spite  of  the 
more  authentic  story  of  her  birth,  the  Cashmeriaris 
would  have  us  believe  that  she  was  a  native  of  the 
valley.  The  new  mosque  in  the  city  was  built  by 
her,  and  is,  in  fact,  the  only  edifice  of  the  kind  that 
can  vie  in  general  aspect  and  finish  with  the  splendor 


54  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

of  the  pearl  mosque,  at  Agra.  The  interior  of  the 
building  is  about  sixty-four  yards  in  length,  and  of 
proportionate  breadth,  the  roof  being  supported  by 
two  rows  of  massive  square  piers,  running  through 
the  entire  length  of  the  building,  the  circular  com 
partments  between  them  being  handsomely  ribbed 
and  vaulted.  When  I  was  in  Cashmere  it  was  used 
as  a  granary  or  storehouse  for  rice. 

"  The  mosque  of  Shah  Ilamadan  occupies  a  con 
spicuous  situation  on  the  bank  of  the  river,  in  the 
midst  of  the  city.  Ilis  story,  as  believed  by  the 
Mussulmans,  is  as  follows:  Tamerlane  was  one  night 
wandering  in  disguise  about  the  streets  of  his  capital 
(Samarkand),  and  overheard  an  old  man  and  his 
wife  talking  over  their  prospects  of  starvation  ;  upon 
which  he  took  off  an  armlet,  threw  it  to  them,  and 
departed  unseen.  A  pretended  syud,  or  descendant 
of  the  prophet,  asked  them  how  they  came  by  the 
armlet,  and  accused  them  of  having  stolen  it  The 
matter  was  made  known  to  Tamerlane,  who  very 
sagaciously  decreed  that  the  owner  must  be  the  per 
son  who  could  produce  the  fellow-armlet.  He  then 
displayed  it  in  his  own  possession,  and  ordered  the 
accuser  to  undergo  the  ordeal  of  hot  iron,  which 
he  refused,  and  was  put  to  death  in  consequence. 
Tamerlane,  moreover,  put  to  death  all  the  other  pre 
tended  syuds  in  the  country.  One  named  Shah 
Ilamadan,  who  really  was  a  descendant  of  the 
prophet,  accused  Tamerlane  of  impiety,  told  him 
that  lie  would  not  remain  in  his  country,  and  by 
virtue  of  his  sanctity  was  able  to  transport  himself 
through  the  air  to  Cashmere.  He  descended  where 


SRINAGUR,    THE  CAPITAL  OF  CASHMERE     55 

the  mosque  now  stands,  and  told  the  Hindoo  fakeer, 
who  had  possession  of  the  spot,  to  depart.  The  lat 
ter  refused,  whereupon  Shah  Hamadan  said  that  if 
he  would  bring  him  news  from  heaven  he  would  then 
believe  in  him.  The  fakeer,  who  had  the  care  of 
numerous  idols,  immediately  despatched  one  of  them 
toward  heaven,  upon  which  Shah  Hamadan  kicked 
his  slipper  after  it  with  such  force  that  the  idol  fell 
to  the  ground.  He  then  asked  the  fakeer  how  he 
became  so  great  a  man.  The  latter  replied,  bj  doing 
charitable  actions,  and  thereupon  Shah  Hamadan 
thought  him  worthy  of  being  made  a  convert  to 
Islam. 

"  The  Mar  canal  is,  perhaps,  the  most  curious  place 
in  the  city  :  it  leaves  the  small  lake  at  the  northeast 
corner,  and  boats  pass  along,  as  at  Venice.  Its  nar 
rowness,  for  it  does  not  exceed  thirty  feet  in  width, 
its  walls  of  massive  stone,  its  heavy  single-arch 
bridges  and  landing-places  of  the  same  material,  the 
gloomy  passages  leading  down  upon  it,  betoken  the 
greatest  antiquity  ;  while  the  lofty  and  many-storied 
houses  that  rise  directly  from  the  water,  supported 
only  by  thin  trunks  of  deodar,  seem  ready  to  fall 
down  upon  the  boat  with  every  gust  of  wind.  It 
could  not  but  remind  me  of  the  old  canals  in  Venice, 
and  although  far  inferior  in  architectural  beauty,  is, 
perhaps,  of  equal  singularity. 

"  In  a  division  of  the  lake  called  Kutawal,  the  far- 
famed  floating  gardens  of  Cashmere  are  anchored,  or 
rather  pinned  to  the  ground  by  means  of  a  stake. 
These,  however,  are  very  wi-Lalla  Eookhish  in  ap 
pearance,  not  being  distinguishable  from  beds  of 


56  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

reeds  and  rushes.  Their  construction  is  extremely 
simple,  and  they  are  made  long  and  narrow,  that 
they  may  be  the  more  easily  taken  in  tow.  A  float 
ing  garden,  ten  yards  long  by  two  or  three  in  width, 
may  be  purchased  for  a  rupee  (fifty  cents).  Mr. 
Moorcroft  has  well  described  the  manner  in  which 
these  gardens  are  made.  The  weeds  at  the  bottom, 
cut  by  means  of  a  scythe,  rise  and  float  on  the  sur 
face  ;  these  are  matted  together,  secured,  and  strewed 
with  soil  and  manure  ;  a  protecting  fence  of  rushes 
is  allowed  to  spring  up  around  them,  and  upon  this 
platform  a  number  of  conical  mounds  or  heaps  of 
weeds  are  constructed,  about  two  feet  in  height.  On 
the  tops  of  these  is  placed  some  soil  from  the  bottom 
of  the  lake ;  the  melon  and  cucumber  plants  are  set 
upon  it,  and  no  further  care  is  necessary. 

"  Cashmere  is  known  to  us  chiefly  through  its  fa 
mous  shawls,  of  which  it  produces  annually  about 
30,000.  Those  of  the  finest  quality  bring,  in  Lon 
don,  from  £100  to  £400  each.  Near  16,000  looms 
are  continually  employed  in  their  manufacture. 

"  There  are  now,"  wrote  Mr.  Vigne  at  that  time, 
ubut  five  or  six  hundred  shawl-frames  in  the  city. 
(This  great  reduction  was  the  result  of  the  Sikh 
conquest.  Prosperity  has  since  been  restored.)  For 
merly  they  were  infinitely  more  numerous.  It  occu 
pies  six  or  seven  frames,  of  two  men  at  each,  for  six 
months,  to  make  a  pair  of  very  large  and  handsome 
shawls.  Ilunjeet  Sing  ordered  a  pair  to  be  made, 
with  patterns  representing  his  victories,  and  paid 
down  5,000  rupees,  after  deducting  the  duties. 
Only  one  of  these  was  finished.  The  poshm,  or 


.  SRINAGUR,    THE  CAPITAL  OF  CASHMERE     57 

shawl  wool,  is  found  upon  the  goats  which  are  pas 
tured  upon  the  elevated  plains  of  Ladak,  or  Little 
Thibet.  It  is  undoubtedly  a  provision  of  nature 
against  the  intense  cold  to  which  they  are  exposed,  as 
it  is  found  not  only  on  the  common  goat,  but  also  on 
the  yak  and  the  shepherd's  dog.  Its  color  is  a  dark, 
dull,  brownish  maroon.  Thejposhm  is  a  cotton-like 
down,  which  grows  close  to  the  skin,  under  the  usual 
coating  of  hair.  The  shawl-goat  has  produced  jjoskm 
in  England,  but  I  believe  that  the  quantity  will 
diminish  with  each  succeeding  generation,  as  the 
climate  is  not  cold  enough  to  demand  such  a  defence 
from  nature. 

"  The  Cashmerian  merchants  purchase  the  wool  in 
Leh,  at  the  rate  of  eighty  small  handfuls  for  a  small 
rupee  (thirty-five  cents).  It  is  then  cleaned  on  the 
spot,  and  only  one  part  in  four  is  fit  for  the  purposes 
of  the  weaver.  When  it  arrives  in  Cashmere  the 
governor  takes  possession  of  it,  and  sells  it  again  to 
the  merchants,  at  twenty  per  cent,  profit  on  their 
whole  expenses,  he  keeping  the  difference  for  him 
self.  The  white  poshm  may  then  be  purchased  in 
the  city  at  about  four  small  rupees  ($1.40)  for  two 
pounds.  The  thread  is  then  dyed  of  different  colors, 
and  of  these  they  use  about  forty  different  kinds. 
Their  blues  and  purples  are  made  chiefly  from  in 
digo  ;  their  yellows  from  an  Indian  flower  and  a 
kind  of  native  grass  ;  their  blacks  from  iron  filings 
and  wild  pomegranate  skins,  from  which  also  a  light 
brown  is  obtained  ;  their  reds  from  logwood  and  a 
native  wood;  a  drab  from  walnut  hulls;  and  it  will 

scarcely  be  believed  that  the  finest  of  their  greens, 
5 


58  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

and  a  light  blue  also,  are  extracted  from  English 
green  baize. 

"All  the  thread  used  in  making  a  large  pair  of 
shawls  does  not  weigh  more  than  fifteen  or  twenty 
pounds,  and  may  be  purchased  for  one  hundred  and 
twenty  to  one  hundred  and  fifty  small  rupees  ($40  to 
$50).  After  the  thread  is  dyed,  it  is  dipped  in  rice- 
water,  a  process  which  makes  it  stronger,  and  fits  it 
to  be  more  safely  moved  by  the  shuttle,  and  the 
stiffness  is  removed  by  washing.  The  undyed  shawl 
stuff,  which  sells  at  five  rupees  the  yard,  is  called 
ulra,  from  ubr,  a  cloud.  "When  made  with  colored 
stripes  or  flowers  on  it,  the  long  under-coats  of  the 
Persians  are  made  from  this  stuff.  If  the  pattern  be 
worked  with  the  needle,  the  shawl  is  far  inferior  in 
every  respect  to  those  in  which  the  pattern  is  woven 
in. 

"  As  soon  as  a  shawl  is  made,  notice  is  given  to  the 
inspector,  and  none  can  be  cut  from  the  loom  but  in 
his  presence.  It  is  then  taken  to  the  custom-house 
and  stamped,  a  price  is  put  upon  it  by  the  proper 
officer,  and  twenty-five  per  cent,  on  the  price  is  de 
manded.  When  it  is  purchased,  and  about  to  leave 
the  valley  with  its  owner,  the  latter  has  to  pay  an 
other  four  rupees  for  permit  duty,  and  another  seal, 
which  enables  him  to  pass  with  his  property ;  but  he 
is  afterward  subjected  to  further  duties.  It  is  neces 
sary  to  wash  the  shawls,  in  order  to  deprive  them 
of  the  stiffness  of  the  rice-starch  remaining  in  the 
thread,  and  for  the  purpose  of  softening  them  gener 
ally.  The  best  water  for  this  use  is  found  in  the 
apple-tree  canal,  between  the  lake  and  the  flood- 


SRINAGUR,    THE  CAPITAL  OF  CASHMERE     59 

gates.  After  being  wet  and  stamped  upon  by  naked 
feet  for  five  minutes,  the  shawl  is  taken  into  the 
canal  by  a  man  standing  in  the  water :  one  end  is 
gathered  up  in  his  hand,  and  the  shawl  swung  round 
and  beaten  with  great  force  on  a  flat  stone,  being 
dipped  into  the  canal  between  every  three  or  four 
strokes.  This  occupies  about  five  minutes.  They 
are  then  dried  in  the  shade,  as  the  hot  sun  spoils  the 
colors. 

"  Old  shawls  that  require  cleaning,  and  in  some 
instances  new  ones,  are  washed  by  means  of  the 
freshly-gathered  root  of  a  parasitical  plant,  called 
Icritz.  A  pound  of  it  is  bruised  and  mixed  with 
three  pints  of  water,  and  to  this  is  added  a  quantity 
of  pigeon  dung,  mixed  and  beaten  up  with  about 
the  same  amount  of  water.  The  shawl  is  then  satu 
rated  with  the  liquor,  stamped  upon,  washed  with  the 
hand,  and  then  well  steeped  in  the  canal.  The  colors 
of  a  shawl,  after  it  has  been  washed,  are  often  re 
newed  so  well  as  to  deceive  any  but  the  initiated,  by 
pricking  them  in  again  with  a  wooden  pin,  dipped  in 
the  requisite  tints. 

"  The  broker  who  transacts  business  between  the 
shawl  manufacturer  and  the  merchant,  is  a  person  of 
great  importance  in  the  city,  and  the  manner  in 
which  their  transactions  are  carried  on  is  rather  sin 
gular.  They  have  correspondents  in  most  of  the 
larger  cities  of  Hindustan,  whose  business  it  is  to 
collect  and  forward  every  species  of  information  con 
nected  with  their  trade.  By  their  means  they  sel 
dom  fail  to  hear  of  any  merchant  who  is  about  to 
start  for  Cashmere,  even  from  such  a  distance  as  Cal- 


60  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

cutta,  and,  if  he  be  a  rich  man,  the  broker  will  send 
as  far  as  Delhi  to  meet  him,  and  invite  him  to  be 
come  his  guest  during  his  sojourn  in  the  valley. 
Perhaps,  again,  when  the  merchant,  half  dead  with 
fatigue  and  cold,  stands  at  length  on  the  snowy  sum 
mit  of  the  Panjal,  or  either  of  the  other  mountain 
passes,  he  is  suddenly  amazed  by  finding  there  a 
servant  of  the  broker,  who  has  kindled  a  fire  ready 
for  his  reception,  hands  him  a  hot  cup  of  tea,  a  dish 
of  food,  a  delicious  pipe,  and  a  note  containing  a 
fresh  and  still  more  pressing  invitation  from  his 
master.  Such  well-timed  civility  is  irresistible :  his 
heart  and  boots  thaw  together,  and  he  at  once  accepts 
the  hospitality  of  the  broker,  who  it  may  be  is  await 
ing  the  traveller,  with  a  friendly  hug,  at  the  bottom 
of  the  pass,  two  or  three  days'  journey  from  the  city, 
to  which  he  obsequiously  conducts  him.  lie  finds 
himself  at  home,  at  the  house  of  his  new  friend,  and 
himself  and  servants  studiously  provided  with  all 
they  can  require.  His  host,  of  course,  takes  care  to 
repay  himself  in  the  end.  He  has  an  understand 
ing  with  the  shawl  manufacturers  who  frequent  hjs 
house,  so  that  the  guest  is  at  the  mercy  of  both 
parties,  and  should  he  quarrel  with  the  broker,  hop 
ing  to  make  a  purchase  without  his  intervention,  he 
would  find  it  impossible. 

"No  shawl-vender  can  by  any  possibility  be  in 
duced  to  display  his  stores  until  the  approach  of  even 
ing,  being  well  aware  of  the  superior  brilliancy 
imparted  to  their  tints  by  the  slanting  rays  of  the 
setting  sun  ;  and  when  the  young  merchant  has  pur 
chased  knowledge  by  experience,  he  will  observe  that 


"  SRINAGUR,    THE  CAPITAL  OF  CASHMERE     61 

the  shawl  is  never  exhibited  by  one  person  only ; 
that  the  broker,  apparently  inattentive,  is  usually  sit 
ting  near,  and  that,  under  pretence  of  bringing  the 
different  beauties  of  the  shawl  under  his  more  special 
notice,  a  constant  and  free  masonic  fire  of  squeezes 
and  pinches,  having  reference  to  the  price  to  be 
asked,  and  graduated  from  one  to  five  hundred 
rupees,  is  secretly  kept  up  between  the  venders,  by 
means  of  their  hands  extended  under  the  shawl. 
When  the  merchant  has  completed  his  purchases,  the 
broker,  who  was  before  so  eager  to  obtain  him  as  a 
guest,  pays  him  the  compliment  of  seeing  him  safe  to 
the  outside  of  the  city,  where  he  takes  leave  of  him 
at  the  last  houses,  leaving  him  to  find  his  way,  as 
best  he  may,  alone  over  the  mountains. 

"  Srinagur,  the  capital,  has  a  population  of  about 
eighty  thousand  souls.  The  Cashmerian  peasants  dif 
fer  but  little  from  the  inhabitants  of  the  city,  but 
the  latter  are  more  civilized  and  perhaps  better  look 
ing.  There  are  Mussulmans  and  Hindoos,  the  former 
predominating  in  the  proportion  of  three  to  one  in 
the  city,  and  nine  to  one  in  the  villages.  The  com 
plexion  of  the  Mussulman  Cashmerian  is  generally 
not  so  dark,  certainly  not  darker,  than  that  of  the 
natives  of  the  south  of  Europe,  the  Neapolitans  for 
instance,  to  whom  they  may  also  be  compared  on 
account  of  the  liveliness  and  humor  of  their  disposi 
tion  ;  but  their  features  are  large  and  aquiline,  like 
those  of  the  Afghans,  and  I  do  not  know  that  I  can 
better  describe  them  than  by  calling  them  subdued 
Jewish  ;  while  a  Hindoo  may  often  be  distinguished 
by  the  fairness  of  his  complexion.  I  was  also  told 


62  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

that  this  was  attributable  to  their  eating  a  less  quan 
tity  of  animal  food  than  the  Mussulmans.  I  have 
heard  that  the  natives  of  the  valley  ascribe  their  own 
beauty  to  the  great  softness  of  the  water.  I  have  re 
marked  that  the  water  softens  a  shawl  better  than 
any  other  ;  and  there  is  undoubtedly  a  peculiar  soft 
ness  in  the  air  of  the  valley.  It  is  remarked  that  the 
horns  of  cattle,  sheep,  and  goats  never  attain  there  to 
any  great  size,  and,  in  fact,  are  rather  small  than 
otherwise.  Neither  has  the  tobacco  of  Cashmere  the 
pungency  of  that  grown  elsewhere. 

"  Many  of  the  women  are  handsome  enough  to 
induce  a  man  to  exclaim,  as  did  the  Assyrian  sol 
diers,  when  they  beheld  the  beauty  of  Judith— 
(  Who  would  despise  this  people,  that  have  among 
them  such  women  ? '  Their  dress  is  a  red  gown, 
with  large  loose  sleeves,  and  red  fillet  on  the  fore 
head,  over  which  is  thrown  a  white  mantilla.  The 
hair  is  braided  in  separate  plaits,  then  gathered  to 
gether,  and  a  long  tassel  of  black  cotton  is  suspended 
from  it  almost  to  the  ankles. 

"  In  Cashmere  there  is  no  concealment  of  the  fea*- 
tures,  except  among  the  higher  classes.  I  do  not 
think  that  the  beauty  of  the  women  has  been  over 
rated.  They  have  not  that  slim  and  graceful  shape 
which  is  so  common  in  Hindustan,  but  are  more 
usually  gifted  with  a  style  of  figure  which  would 
entitle  them  to  the  appellation  of  fine  or  handsome 
women  in  European  society.  They  have  the  com 
plexion  of  brunettes,  with  more  pink  on  the  cheeks, 
while  that  of  the  Hindoo  women  has  often  too  much 
of  the  pink  and  white  in  it.  Whatever  the  other 


SRINAGUR,    THE  CAPITAL  OF  CASHMERE     63 

features  may  be,  they  have  usually  a  pair  of  large, 
almond-shaped  hazel  eyes,  and  a  white  and  regular 
set  of  teeth.  The  inhabitants  of  the  boats,  male  and 
female,  are  perhaps  the  handsomest  people  in  the 
valley." 


CHAPTER  VII. 

JOURNEY  TO  ISKARDO  AND  THE   UPPER  INDUS 

BEFORE  leaving  the  Punjab  for  Cashmere,  Mr. 
Vigne  received  information  which  led  him  to 
believe  that  he  might  succeed  in  reaching  Iskardo 
on  the  upper  Indus,  the  capital  of  Baltistan  (some 
times  also  called  Little  Thibet),  which  had  never  been 
visited  by  a  European.  Ahmed  Shah,  the  Rajah  of 
the  country,  had  expressed  a  desire  to  see  some 
Englishman  at  his  court,  no  doubt  in  the  hope  of 
securing  some  influence  which  might  be  of  service  to 
him  in  the  then  unsettled  state  of  the  country. 

Mr.  Yigrie  had  been  but  a  short  time  in  the  vale 
of  Cashmere,  when  he  found  that  it  would  be  neces 
sary  to  carry  out  his  plan  during  the  brief  summer- 
of  the  higher  ranges.  The  Sikh  governor  at  first 
refused  to  allow  him  to  proceed  farther,  without  per 
mission  from  Runjeet  Sing,  at  Lahore;  but  this  was 
easily  obtained.  The  officials,  nevertheless,  endeav 
ored  to  create  obstacles  of  another  kind.  "The  Kazi 
(Judge)  of  Cashmere,"  says  Mr.  Vigne,  "  confessed 
afterward  that  they  had  tried  to  bribe  and  intimidate 
my  servants,  and  I  myself  was  present  when  the 
Sikh  captain  commanding  my  guard  was  terrifying 
them  by  solemnly  assuring  them  there  were  Jews  at 


JOURNEY  TO  ISKARDO  65 

Ladak,  whose  favorite  food,  among  other  horrors, 
was  human  flesh. 

"  But  all  the  offers  and  assertions  of  the  Sikhs 
were  of  no  avail  against  the  counter-statement  of  the 
faithful  emissaries  of  Ahmed  Shah  (of  Iskardo),  who 
I  have  no  doubt  promised  them  both  protection  and 
emolument ;  and  when  I  told  them  the  contents  of 
llunjeet's  letter,  they  only  stipulated  for  double 
wages  during  the  time  they  were  absent  from  the 
valley — which  of  course  I  instantly  agreed  to  give 
them.  All  necessary  preparations  were  made  without 
loss  of  time,  and  the  next  day  I  was  rapidly  floating 
down  the  broad  and  burnished  expanse  of  the  Jelum, 
and  following  its  windings  on  my  way  to  Bundurpore, 
on  the  Wulur  Lake,  where  commences  the  path  over 
the  mountains  to  Little  Thibet. 

"  The  night  was  spent  at  the  foot  of  the  pass. 
When  all  was  ready  for  a  start  in  the  morning,  I 
was  informed  that  a  messenger  from  Ahmed  Shah, 
of  Iskardo,  had  arrived,  and  wished  to  speak  to  me. 
His  name  was  Nasim  Khan  :  he  was  a  singular-look 
ing  person,  thin  and  pale-faced,  dressed  in  a  black 
velvet  frock,  with  silver  buttons,  and  wearing  a  black 
leathern  belt  profusely  ornamented  with  little  knobs 
of  the  same  metal.  He  approached  me  bareheaded, 
with  the  look  and  manner  of  a  captive  brigand,  his 
small,  keen,  dark  eye  glancing  suspiciously  on  my 
Sikh  guards  ;  then,  after  making  a  most  respectful 
salaam,  he  stated  that  his  master  had  sent  him  to 
welcome  and  attend  upon  me ;  that  he  had  also 
brought  with  him  a  good  pony,  who  would  carry  me 
in  safety  to  Iskardo ;  and  finally,  after  handing  me  a 


66  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

letter  of  invitation  from  Ahmed  Shah,  he  drew  back 
and  remained  stationary,  with  an  aspect  and  in  an  at 
titude  that  betokened  the  most  profound  submission. 

"When  we  had  commenced  the  ascent,  and  his 
fears  and  suspicions  were  over,  his  tongue  was  rarely 
at  rest,  and  I  listened  with  avidity  and  delight  to  the 
recital  of  his  own  adventures,  his  stories  of  Great 
and  Little  Thibet,  and  the  countries  on  the  north 
of  us,  including  Yarkand  and  its  Chinese  masters; 
how  they  were  always  at  war  with  the  people  of 
Kokand  ;  how  they  had  labored  for  months  to  cut 
through  a  glacier,  in  order  to  form  a  passage  for 
their  army ;  how  the  general  of  the  Kokandees  had 
loaded  several  wagons  with  the  pig-tails  of  the  Chi 
nese  soldiers,  slain  in  action  ;  and  how,  in  return,  his 
celestial  majesty  had  sent  back  the  same  number 
of  wagons  laden  with  millet-seed,  by  way  of  intimat 
ing  the  countless  numbers  of  his  troops — how  a 
Chinese  general,  to  prove  his  powers  of  ubiquity, 
would  start  off  his  whole  army  in  carriages  over 
night,  to  a  distant  post,  the  vehicles  being  sometimes 
drawn  across  the  country  by  paper  kites ;  how  the 
walls  of  one  of  their  strongholds  were  of  loadstone, 
and  the  advancing  forces  were  aghast  when  their 
side-arms  flew  from  their  scabbards,  and  their  match 
locks  struggled  in  their  hands  ! 

"  It  took  half  a  day  to  reach  the  halting-station, 
a  small  open  lawn  surrounded  by  a  pine  forest. 
Here  we  slept  on  the  ground  without  pitching  tents, 
in  order  to  be  ready  to  ascend  to  the  summit,  and 
cross  the  snow  before  sunrise,  while  it  was  yet  hard 
with  the  night's  frost.  The  tableland  in  summer- 


JOURNEY  TO  ISKARDO  67 

time  Ts  covered  with  a  fine  greensward,  and  at  the 
distance  of  a  mile  and  a  half  rises  a  small  eminence 
on  the  left,  toward  which,  on  our  approach,  Nasim 
Khan  suddenly  started  off  in  a  gallop,  calling  on  me 
to  follow,  and  loudly  exclaiming  that  he  would  show 
me  a  view  worth  a  lac  of  rupees.  I  quickly  fol 
lowed  him,  and  the  stupendous  peak  of  Diarmul, 
more  than  forty  miles  distant  in  a  straight  line,  but 
appearing  to  be  much  nearer,  burst  upon  my  sight, 
rising  far  above  every  other  around  it,  and  entirely 
cased  in  snow,  excepting  where  its  scarps  were  too 
precipitous  for  snow  to  remain  upon  them.  It  was 
partially  encircled  by  a  broad  belt  of  cloud,  and  its 
finely-pointed  summit,  glistening  in  the  full  blaze  of 
the  morning  sun,  relieved  by  the  clear  blue  sky  be 
yond  it,  presented,  on  account  of  its  isolated  situation, 
an  appearance  of  extreme  altitude,  equalled  by  few 
of  the  Himalaya  range,  though  their  actual  height  be 
greater. 

"  This  peak  is  called  Diarmul  by  the  Thibetans,  and 
Nunga  Purbut,  or  the  naked  mountain,  by  the  Cash- 
merians.  I  should  estimate  its  elevation  at  nearly 
nineteen  thousand  feet  above  the  sea.*  The  pass  on 
which  we  stood  has  a  height  of  12,000  feet ;  on  the 
south  we  saw  two-thirds  of  the  vale  of  Cashmere, 
with  the  snowy  range  of  the  Panjal  behind  it. 

"  The  way  now  led  aloft  upon  a  tableland  called 
Burzil,  or  the  Birches,  where  the  limestone  of  the 
valleys  gives  way  to  a  granite  formation. 

*  Its  actual  height  has  since  been  ascertained,  by  measurement, 
to  be  26,679  feet,  thus  ranking  sixth  among  the  mountains  of  the 
world. 


68  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

"  As  we  were  approaching  Burzil  we  met  a  Little 
Thibetan,  who  had  been  sent  on  some  errand  by  Ah 
med  Shah,  and  from  whom  my  servants  learned  that 
there  were  robbers  in  the  vicinity,  and  that  Ahmed 
Shah  himself  was  near  at  hand,  with  a  large  force, 
for  the  purpose  of  destroying  them  on  the  following 
day.  Toward  nightfall,  while  sitting  by  a  fire  near 
my  tent-door,  another  Balti  native  showed  himself 
for  an  instant,  on  the  crest  of  the  rocky  eminence 
below  which  we  were  encamped,  and  then  hastened 
away  with  the  intelligence  of  my  arrival.  In  about 
an  hour  afterward,  the  loud,  distant,  and  discordant 
blasts  of  the  Thibetan  music  were  heard  echoing  along 
the  glen  :  the  sound  grew  louder  and  louder,  and  we 
were  all  on  the  tiptoe  of  expectation.  At  length  the 
band,  which  was  the  foremost  of  the  procession,  made 
its  appearance  above  us,  consisting  of  fifes,  clarion 
ets,  and  five  or  six  huge  brazen  trumpets,  about  six 
feet  in  length,  shaped  like  the  classic  instruments 
which  are  usually  put  to  the  mouth  of  Fame.  After 
these  came  a  group  of  thirty  or  forty  soldiers,  the 
wildest-looking  figures  imaginable,  wearing  large, 
loosely-tied  turbans,  and  armed  with  matchlocks, 
swords,  and  shields.  After  them  came  one  of  Ahmed 
Shah's  sons,  preceded  by  a  few  small  red  horses,  and 
surrounded  by  more  soldiers.  Ahmed  Ali  Khan,  for 
so  the  young  prince  was  named,  had  been  sent  by  his 
father  to  welcome  me  and  give  me  honorable  escort. 
He  was  a  young  man  of  short  and  slender  make, 
walking  with  a  lame  and  somewhat  awkward  gait,  in 
consequence  of  his  having  broken  both  his  legs  by  a 
fall,  when  he  was  a  child.  They  were  cured,  by-the-by, 


NIGHT    ON   THE   DESERT. 


JOURNEY  TO  ISKARDO  69 

by  his  swallowing  pills  of  rock  asphaltum,  and  living 
upon  milk  at  the  same  time.  His  handsome  features 
and  fine  expanse  of  forehead  derived  a  somewhat 
effeminate  expression  from  his  back  hair  (the  front 
of  the  head  was  shaved)  being  gathered  into  two 
large  massive  curls,  hanging  down  one  behind  each 
ear.  All  the  young  men  of  Little  Thibet  follow  this 
fashion,  and  leave  the  mustaches,  but  shave  the  beard 
until  it  begins  to  grow  strongly.  The  long  curls  are 
then  doffed  or  neglected,  and  the  beard  is  allowed  to 
luxuriate. 

"  After  making  the  usual  inquiries  after  my  health, 
and  answering  several  questions  on  different  subjects, 
which  I  put  to  him  by  means  of  my  interpreter,  the 
young  Khan  assured  me  that  the  story  about  the 
robbers  was  perfectly  true — that  seventy  or  eighty  of 
them  had  come  through  the  mountains  from  the  dis 
trict  of  Kholi-Palus,  on  the  Indus,  about  eight  or  ten 
days'  march  below  Iskardo  ;  that  they  had  been  pil 
laging  a  village  in  his  father's  territories,  and  were 
driving  away  with  them  the  inhabitants  and  their 
cattle  also ;  and  that  his  father  had  come  in  person, 
with  a  strong  force,  for  the  purpose  of  cutting  them 
off  at  the  head  of  a  defile,  through  which  they  were 
expected  to  debouch. 

"  Accordingly,  at  an  early  hour  the  next  morning, 
we  all  moved  forward  toward  the  place  of  the  am 
buscade.  After  a  few  miles  we  came  in  sight  of  the 
liaj  all's  tent,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  mouth  of 
the  defile  through  which  the  marauders  were  ex- 

O 

pected  to  arrive,  and  near  it  were  several  hundred 
men,  visible  to  us,  but  concealed  from  their  approach- 


70  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

ing  victims  by  a  small  eminence.  The  young  Khan 
ordered  a  halt  within  one  mile  and  a  half  of  hia 
father's  tent,  and  we  sat  down  for  half  an  hour  qui 
etly  awaiting  the  preconcerted  signal. 

"  From  the  spot  where  we  remained  I  could  distin 
guish  several  parties  lying  in  ambush  in  different 
parts  of  the  mountains,  but  all  was  as  silent  as  the 
place  was  desolate,  although  so  many  human  beings 
were  in  sight.  Suddenly,  and  I  shall  never  forget  the 
excitement  of  a  scene  so  new  and  so  savage,  the  band 
advanced  rapidly  into  the  open  part  of  the  defile, 
striking  up  one  of  its  wildest  and  loudest  strains, 
and  the  mountains  echoed  again  with  the  clangor  of 
their  huge  trumpets,  and  the  laugh-like  cheers  of  the 
Baltis,  as  every  man  left  his  place  of  concealment 
and  sprang  forward  upon  the  astonished  marauders. 
Our  party  were  instantly  mounted,  and  we  pushed 
forward  to  the  top  of  the  hill  in  advance  of  us  ;  but 
the  work  had  been  speedily  finished,  and  was  nearly 
over  when  we  arrived.  The  bodies  of  five  or  six  men 
who  had  attempted  to  escape  toward  us  were  lying 
on  our  right.  They  had  been  intercepted  and  killed, 
and  stripped  in  an  instant.  At  a  short  distance  lay  a 
wounded  wretch,  who  had  raised  himself  on  his  hand, 
and  by  his  side  was  an  old  Thibetan  soldier,  coolly 
loading  his  matchlock,  from  which  he  gave  him  the 
coup-de-grace.  Around  another  was  a  circle  of  the 
victors,  from  which  one  more  ferocious  than  the  rest 
would  now  and  then  step  forward  to  inflict  a  fresh 
wound  with  his  sword.  Others  were  busied  in  strip 
ping  the  slain,  and  securing  part  of  the  spoil  to  them 
selves.  Among  the  latter  were  my  brave  Cashmer- 


JOURNEY  TO  ISKARDO  71 

ian  coolies,  who,  watching  their  opportunity,  aban 
doned  their  loads  in  the  melee,  and  contrived  to  seize 
upon  several  sheep  which  they  killed  and  buried,  on 
the  same  principle  that  a  dog  buries  a  bone,  to  be  dug 
up  on  their  return. 

"  While  I  was  surveying  the  extraordinary  scene 
around  me,  my  attention  was  attracted  by  a  large 
crowd,  and  I  was  told  that  the  Rajah  was  approach 
ing.  He  and  all  around  him  dismounted  as  he  drew 
near  to  me,  and  I,  of  course,  followed  the  example. 
Of  two  who  were  taller  than  the  rest,  I  did  not  im 
mediately  know  which  was  Ahmed  Shah,  but  I  after 
ward  found  that  the  second  was  his  brother,  Gholam 
Shah.  Ahmed  Shah  approached  me  bareheaded, 
and  when  near  he  frequently  stopped  and  salaamed 
by  bowing  low,  and  touching  the  ground  with  the 
back  of  his  hand,  and  then  carrying  it  to  his  fore 
head.  I  advanced  quickly,  took  his  hand,  and  shook 
it  d  1} anglaise^  bidding  my  interpreter  inform  him 
that  it  was  the  English  custom  to  do  so,  with  which 
piece  of  information  he  seemed  much  pleased.  We 
then  all  sat  down  upon  tent-rugs  which  had  been 
brought  for  the  occasion  and  after  mutual  inquiries 
after  each  other's  health,  I  congratulated  him  on  the 
success  of  the  expedition.  He  replied  that  these  very 
marauders  had  pillaged  part  of  his  country  two  or 
three  times  before,  and  that  he  had  determined  to 
come  in  person  and  destroy  them  ;  that  he  had  all 
his  life  prayed  that  he  might  set  eyes  upon  a  Frank 
before  he  died,  and  that  now  his  wish  was  granted. 

"  I  must  have  appeared  an  odd  figure  to  him,  being 
dressed  in  a  white  duck  shooting-jacket  and  a  broad- 


72  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

brimmed  white  cotton  hat.  I  had  come,  he  remarked, 
from  a  long  distance  to  visit  him,  and  had  arrived  at 
a  very  fortunate  hour;  he  said  that  l*e  would  do  all 
he  could  to  make  me  welcome  ;  and  added,  that  what 
with  my  arrival  and  his  having  killed  the  thieves,  he 
was  really  so  happy  that  he  knew  not  what  to  do. 
During  this  conversation  the  soldiers  came  in  from 
different  quarters,  showing  their  wounds,  some  of 
them  being  very  severe  ones,  and  displaying  the 
spoils,  consisting  of  swords  which  the  robbers  had 
scarcely  time  to  draw,  and  old  matchlocks  for  which 
they  had  not  been  allowed  the  opportunity  of  strik 
ing  a  light. 

"  My  friend,  Nasim  Khan,  who  had  joined  the 
ambuscades,  came  up  without  his  cap,  which  he  said 
he  had  lost  in  the  conflict.  Out  of  the  whole  num 
ber  of  the  marauders  three  or  four  only  had  con 
trived  to  make  their  escape  ;  the  rest  were  killed,  or 
so  severely  wounded  as  to  be  supposed  dead.  About 
one  hundred  men,  women,  and  children,  and  a  very 
large  flock  of  sheep,  were  rescued  from  their  hands, 
and  some  of  them  came  up  to  thank  the  Eajah  for 
what  he  had  done  for  them.  Meanwhile  an  unfor- 
tun  ate  wretch,  who  had  been  shamming  dead,  or  who 
had  recovered  a  little  from  the  faintness  caused  by 
his  wound,  was  suddenly  discovered  in  the  distance, 
sitting  upright  on  the  mountain-side.  Some  of  the 
bystanders  instantly  volunteered  to  go  and  despatch 
him.  I  looked  at  the  Rajah,  and  I  suppose  he  un 
derstood  as  I  wished,  that  I  meant  to  ask  for  mercy, 
for  he  ordered  them  to  fetch  him,  but  to  spare  his 
life.  lie  was  brought  in  afterward,  a  stout-looking 


JOURNEY  TO  ISKARDO  73 

* 

fellow,  with  a  dark  swarthy  skin  (for  he  was  nearly 
stripped),  and  a  shaven  head.  He  had  a  severe  gash 
on  the  neck  and  another  on  the  arm.  I  suppose  they 
had  told  him  that  I  had  interceded  for  him,  as  he 
caught  my  eye  instantly,  and  his  wounds  did  not  pre 
vent  him  from  raising  his  hands  to  his  mouth,  and 
making  a  sign  for  water — which  was  also  given  to 
him  immediately  at  my  request,  and  he  was  after 
ward  dismissed  with  his  liberty,  but  died,  so  I  was 
informed,  while  on  his  way  to  report  the  fate  of  his 
comrades. 

"  Ahmed  Shah  said  he  wished  to  remain  encamped 
where  he  was,  for  the  night ;  but  added  that  he 
would  move  elsewhere  if  I  disliked  the  smell  of  the 
wild  leeks,  which  were  very  numerous.  I  made  no 
objection,  and  my  tent  was  pitched  at  a  little  distance 
from  his  own,  and  I  retired  to  rest,  feeling  thankful 
for  the  protection  I  had  received  from  a  danger 
which,  according  to  all  calculation  of  time  and  cir 
cumstances,  must,  had  I  been  alone  with  my  party, 
have  certainly  crossed  my  path.  The  next  morning 
I  observed  the  Rajah  and  several  others  standing 
round  what,  upon  approaching,  I  found  to  be  a  heap 
of  human  heads,  which  had  been  collected  and 
brought  to  him  for  inspection. 

"  We  soon  afterward  started  for  Iskardo,  and  im 
mediately  commenced  the  ascent  to  the  plains  of 
Deotsuh. 

"  We  wound  in  long  array  across  the  elevated 
plain.  I  was  eager  to  arrive  at  Iskardo,  and  was  al 
ways  for  moving  forward,  but  the  Rajah,  whose  yes 
terday's  victory  was  a  great  feat,  seemed  determined 
6 


74  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

to  take  it  more  coolly,  and  was  perpetually  calling  for 
a  fresh  pipe,  and  stopping  to  enjoy  it — I,  of  course, 
being  obliged,  out  of  respect,  to  dismount  and  sit 
down  with  him.  At  length,  after  a  march  of  sixteen 
miles,  we  arrived  at  our  camp-ground,  near  a  large 
but  fordable  stream.  As  night  drew  near,  the  air 
became  extremely  cold,  and  my  Hindoo  servants  were 
in  a  state  of  despair.  A  quantity  of  dead  dwarf  juni 
per  roots  was  collected  by  the  Thibetans,  and  a  large 
and  cheery  fire  was  soon  kindled,  which  added  much 
to  their  comfort.  I  contented  myself  with  partaking 
of  their  supper,  and  while  my  bed  was  preparing, 
was  keeping  myself  warm  by  walking  to  and  fro 
with  my  hands  in  my  pockets,  having  previously,  as  I 
thought,  taken  leave  of  the  Rajah  for  the  night, 
when  he  suddenly  joined  me  and  exclaimed,  '  I'll 
walk  with  you.'  Then  sticking  his  hands  into  his 
sash,  he  forthwith  began  stalking  up  and  down  by 
my  side,  at  a  pace  that  his  dignity  had  not  often 
permitted  before. 

"  We  proceeded  on  our  march  over  the  plain,  and 
about  mid-day  Mohammed  Ali  Khan,  a  boy  about 
twelve  years  old,  the  heir  presumptive  to  the  throne 
of  Little  Thibet,  arrived  from  Iskardo.  Toward 
sunset  we  were  at  the  foot  of  a  steep  ridge,  and  pre 
pared  for  a  further  ascent  of  about  four  hundred  feet. 

"  The  cortege  commenced  the  ascent  of  the  zigzag  ; 
the  coolies  toiled  np  the  path,  and  were  obliged  to 
halt  and  take  breath  at  every  twenty  paces  ;  then 
they  advanced  again,  encouraging  each  other  by 
loudly  cheering,  in  a  tone  that  might  have  been 
taken  for  the  wild  and  discordant  laughter  of  ma- 


JOURNEY  TO  ISKARDO  75 

niacs.  I  pressed  forward  with  eagerness  in  advance 
of  Ahmed  Shah,  riding  as  far  as  I  could ;  but  find 
ing  I  should  attain  the  summit  faster  on  foot,  I  left 
my  horse  with  a  groom,  and  soon  stood  at  the  upper 
edge  of  a  glacis  of  snow,  and  thence — through  a  long 
sloping  vista  formed  of  barren  peaks,  of  savage 
shapes  and  various  colors,  in  which  the  milky  white 
ness  of  the  gypsum  rock  was  contrasted  with  the 
deeply  red  tint  of  those  that  contained  iron — I,  the 
first  European  who  had  ever  beheld  them,  gazed 
downward  from  a  height  of  six  or  seven  thousand 
feet  upon  the  sandy  plains  and  green  orchards  of  the 
valley  of  the  Indus  at  Iskardo,  with  a  sensation  of 
mingled  pride  and  pleasure,  of  which  no  one  but  a 
traveller  can  form  a  just  conception.  The  rock,  of 
the  same  name,  with  the  Rajah's  stronghold  at  the 
east  end  of  it,  was  a  very  conspicuous  object.  The 
stream  from  the  valley  of  Shighur,  which  joins  the 
Indus  at  its  foot,  was  visible  from  the  spot  where  I 
stood,  while  to  the  north,  and  wherever  the  eye 
could  rove,  arose,  with  surpassing  grandeur,  a  vast 
assemblage  of  the  enormous  summits  that  compose 
the  Thibetan  Himalaya. 

"  We  did  not  reach  the  rock  of  Iskardo  until  the 
afternoon  of  the  next  day,  and  upon  my  arrival  I 
found  that  a  good  house  at  its  foot,  in  which  some  of 
the  Rajah's  family  usually  resided,  had  been  emptied 
for  my  reception.  I  followed  the  Rajah  up  the  steps 
to  the  upper  room,  where  one  of  his  attendants  im 
mediately  presented  me  with  a  plate  of  small,  thin, 
fancifully  stamped  pieces  of  gold,  made  from  the 
gold-dust  collected  on  the  banks  of  the  Indus,  and 


76  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

another  plateful  of  similar  silver  pieces,  which  I 
showered  down  from  the  balcony  upon  the  crowd  be 
low.  After  these  were  exhausted,  we  threw  down 
several  bits  of  cloth  for  turbans,  etc.,  and  all  laughed 
heartily  at  the  furious  scrambling  and  vociferations 
which  took  place  even  before  the  articles  fell. 

"  The  Indus  was  visible  from  my  window,  and  I 
then  turned  to  enjoy  the  view  of  it  for  the  first  time. 
It  approached  through  a  sandy  plain,  from  the  eastern 
end  of  the  valley,  and  here,  nine  miles  from  the  en 
trance,  it  washed  the  end  of  the  rock  within  musket- 
shot  of  me,  in  a  noble  stream  of  more  than  one  hun 
dred  and  fifty  yards  in  width.  The  Hock  is  about 
two  miles  in  length,  and  the  peak  over  the  east  end 
rises  some  eight  hundred  feet  above  the  river.  The 
whole  of  this  superb  natural  fortress,  situated  in  the 
middle  of  the  valley  of  Iskardo,  which  is  nineteen 
miles  long  and  seven  wide,  rises  with  mural  sides 
from  a  buttress  of  sand,  except  at  the  western  end, 
where  it  slopes  deeply  to  the  plain. 

"  The  valley  of  the  Indus,  at  Iskardo,  is  about,  seven 
thousand  three  hundred  feet  above  the  level  of  the 
sea.  Enormous  mountains,  rising  eight  thousand  feet 
or  more  above  it,  surround  it  on  every  side,  bare, 
rugged,  and  apparently  inaccessible,  with  long,  as 
cending  defiles  between  them.  The  surface  of  the 
valley,  but  for  the  verdure  supplied  by  partial  irri 
gation,  would  be  almost  a  sandy  plain  ;  but  water 
may  be  found  anywhere,  I  was  informed,  at  the 
depth  of  ten  yards.  Almost  all  the  owners  of  land 
are  sepoys,  who  are  bound  by  their  tenure  to  per 
form  any  sort  of  service  to  which  they  may  be  called. 


JOURNEY  TO  ISKARDO  77 

The  crops  are  of  wheat,  barley,  turnips,  a  little  rice, 
millet,  buckwheat,  and  cockscombs.  The  melons  of 
Iskardo  are  plentiful,  small  and  green,  but  of  deli 
cious  flavor.  The  grapes  are  pretty  good,  apples 
excellent,  pears  indifferent;  peaches  and  apricots  are 
generally  small.  Good  raisins  are  also  made  in  the 
valley. 

"  I  tasted  a  curious  preparation  called  sgurma,  and 
where  there  was  so  little  variety  for  the  palate  I  did 
not  despise  it  as  a  sweatrneat.  It  is  made  by  putting 
two  pounds  of  ripe  wheat  into  a  hair  bag,  which  is 
then  to  be  laid  in  a  running  stream  for  five  or  six 
days,  or  until  the  sprout  is  about  an  inch  in  length. 
Care  is  to  be  taken  that  the  grains  do  not  adhere,  and 
for  that  purpose  it  should  be  gently  stirred  once  a 
day.  The  grains  are  then  dried  and  broken  by  pound 
ing,  and  four  pints  of  water  are  added  to  one  of  the 
mashed  grain.  It  should  remain  all  clav  in  the  water, 
which  is  to  be  strained  off  in  the  evening.  The  liquor 
is  then  boiled  in  a  stone  saucepan,  which  is  first  greased 
inside  with  butter:  when  boiling,  a  cupful  of  almond 
or  apricot  oil  to  about  three  quarts  of  the  liquor,  is 
to  be  poured  in,  and  the  whole  stirred  until  it  as 
sumes  the  consistency  of  paste.  I  was  surprised  at 
the  taste  imparted  by  the  sweet-wort,  and  could 
hardly  believe  that  there  was  no  sugar  in  the  compo 
sition. 

"  The  Rajah  told  me  that  the  valley  of  Shighur  is 
well  worth  visiting,  and  volunteered  to  accompany  me, 
which  proposal  of  course  I  did  not  refuse.  We  were 
ferried  over  the  Indus,  and  afterward  marched  across 
the  sandy  plain,  parallel  to  the  river,  then  turned  to 


78  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

the  left  and  wound  among  the  bare  and  rocky  hills 
which  separate  the  valley  of  Shighur  from  that  of  Is- 
kardo.  The  former  valley  lies  nearly  at  right  angles 
with  the  latter ;  its  length,  by  actual  survey,  is 
twenty-four  miles,  its  greatest  breadth  between  four 
and  five.  The  Rajah  and  myself  occupied  three 
days  in  marching  to  the  end  of  it. 

"  The  complexions  of  the  Little  Thibetans  are  usu 
ally  sallow,  and  their  physiognomy  shows  an  admixt 
ure  of  the  Mongolian  or  Tartar,  and  the  more  noble 
features  of  the  Indian  or  Persian  races,  which  have 
originally  met  from  the  north  and  the  south  upon  the 
banks  of  the  Indus.  But  I  noticed  that  their  aspect 
was  usually  thin  and  care-worn,  the  result,  no  doubt, 
of  the  hard  life  and  scant}7  fair  of  the  mountaineer, 
the  latter  consisting  chiefly  of  bread  made  from  some 
of  the  grains  already  mentioned,  and  apricots  dried  in 
the  sun,  of  which,  in  the  autumn,  bushels  may  be  seen 
upon  every  other  roof.  I  do  not  think  them  long- 
lived,  and  Ahmed  Shah  seemed  to  think  that  eighty 
was  an  extraordinary  age.  They  are  certainly  an  in 
teresting  people. 

"  The  glory  of  the  valley  up  which  we  travelled  is 
the  magnificent  glacier  at  the  end  of  it.  Its  lower 
extremity  is  a  short  distance  from  the  village  of  Arin- 
do,  and  the  natives  say  that  it  is  slowly  but  per 
ceptibly  advancing.  It  occupies  the  entire  valley  as 
far  as  the  eye  can  reach  ;  and  a  place  that  looks  more 
like  the  extremity  of  the  world  does  not  exist.  Yast 
mountains,  alike  bare,  precipitous,  and  rugged,  appear 
to  form  a  channel  for  it,  and  in  the  extreme  distance 
their  sides  are  colored  with  the  red  and  white  tints  of 


JOURNEY  TO  ISKAEDO  79 

iron  and  gypsum.  The  width  of  the  lofty  wall  of 
ice,  in  which  it  terminates  toward  Arindo,  is  about 
a  quarter  of  a  mile ;  its  height  is  nearly  a  hundred 
feet.  I  have  never  seen  any  spectacle  of  the  same 
nature  so  truly  grand  as  the  debouchure  of  the  waters 
from  beneath  this  glacier.  The  ice  is  clear  and  green 
as  an  emerald,  the  archway  lofty,  gloomy,  and  Aver- 
nus-like.  The  stream  that  emerges  from  it  is  no  in 
cipient  brook,  but  a  large  and  ready-formed  river, 
whose  color  is  that  of  the  soil  which  it  has  collected 
in  its  course,  whose  violence  and  velocity  betoken  a 
very  long  descent,  and  whose  force  is  best  explained  by 
saying  that  it  rolls  along  with  it  enormous  masses  of 
ice,  which  are  whirled  against  the  rocks  in  its  bed 
with  a  concussion  producing  a  sound  resembling  that 
of  a  distant  cannon. 

"  Not  far  from  the  foot  of  the  glacier  is  the  open 
ing  of  a  defile,  with  a  guard  and  watch-tower ;  and 
on  the  summit  of  the  defile  is  another  glacier,  over 
which,  with  two  or  three  days'  scrambling,  and  being 
fastened  together  by  ropes,  there  is  a  way  to  the -val 
ley  of  Nagyr,  once  tributary  to  Ahmed  Shah,  but 
now  independent,  and  containing  upward  of  twenty 
castles.  I  was  meditating  an  excursion  over  the 
Muzdagh  (or  Belor  Dagh)  to  the  district  of  Hunzeh, 
in  order  to  pass  thence  to  Pamir,  and  perhaps  to 
Khokand ;  but  Ahmed  Shaw  told  me  it  was  impos 
sible,  as  he  could  not  depend  on  the  friendship  of  the 
people  of  Hunzeh." 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

JOURNEY   TO   LADAK. 

MR.  VIG1STE  visited  Iskardo  twice,  and  during 
one  of  the  visits  (but  which  lie  does  not  state, 
nor  in  what  year)  he  succeeded  in  ascending  the 
Indus  to  Leh,  the  capital  of  Ladak,  or  Little  Thibet. 
His  narrative  must  be  detached  from  the  innumer 
able  digressions  in  which  he  indulges,  and  set  to 
gether  in  order,  as  in  the  foregoing  chapters.  The 
first  day's  march,  after  leaving  Iskardo,  was  to  the 
eastern  end  of  the  valley,  which  the  Indus  enters  by 
a  narrow  and  difficult  pass. 

"The  next  morning,"  he  says,  "  we  arrived  at  the 
place  where  the  two  branches  of  the  Indus,  one  from 
Ladak,  and  the  other,  the  Shay  ok,  from  N  libra  and 
Karakoram,  unite  to  form  the  main  stream. 

"  I  must  first  ascend  the  latter  river,  toward  Kho-* 
palu. 

"  Khopalu  (the  place  of  the  rock)  is  reached  on  the 
third  day.  The  open  district  so  named  is  a  long 
sloping  bank,  two  or  three  miles  in  extent,  on  the 
left  side  of  the  river,  and  exhibiting  a  green  and 
shady  confusion  of  stone  walls,  cottages,  and  fruit- 
trees.  The  most  conspicuous  object  is  the  castle, 
built  on  the  summit  of  a  nearly  isolated  rock,  which 
rises  more  than  a  thousand  feet  above  the  Indus. 


JOURNEY   TO  LADAK  81 

The  view  from  its  windows  is  very  grand,  and  they 
overhang  a  height  which  it  made  me  almost  giddy  to 
look  down  upon.  Ahmed  Shah  took  it  from  a  re 
fractory  raj  all  by  cutting  off  the  supply  of  water. 

"At  Khopalu  I  was  visited  by  a  native  physician, 
who  brought  with  him  a  book  called  the  manchuk, 
composed  of  loose  oblong  leaves  tied  up  between  two 
boards,  and  written  in  Thibetan  characters.  He  said 
he  did  not  know  its  age,  but  informed  me  that  it 
was  written  in  Lassa,  the  capital  of  Great  Thibet, 
and  that  it  was  the  best  book  on  medicine  to  be 
found  between  Lassa  and  Ladak;  which  was  not, 
however,  saying  much  for  it.  It  was  divided  into 
four  parts :  1,  a  treatise  on  the  pulse  and  veins ; 
2,  on  plants  ;  3  and  4,  on  judging  of  disease  by  the 
inspection  of  the  tongue,  eyes,  etc.,  of  the  patient. 
He  appeared  unwilling  to  part  with  it,  saying  that  it 
was  his  bread,  and  I  did  not  press  him  to  do  so. 
For  fever  he  gave  camphor,  white  sandal-wood,  ele 
phant's  liver,  and  saffron  ;  for  ague,  cinnamon,  pep 
per,  pomegranate,  and  quince  seeds. 

"  We  passed  the  castle  of  Chorbut,  which  is  situ 
ated  so  as  to  command  the  entrance  of  the  defile  and 
pass  of  Hanu.  Beyond  the  turn  of  the  river,  above 
a  village  called  Pranuk,  the  path  in  its  bed  was  not 
practicable  in  consequence  of  there  being  too  much 
water. 

"  The  ascent  to  the  summit  of  the  Hanu  pass  was 
as  dreary  and  desolate  as  possible,  but  not  so  difficult 
as  many  others.  The  descent  was  more  troublesome, 
as  the  snow  was  softened,  and  we  were  constantly 
sinking  in  it  up  to  the  middle. 


82  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

"  We  soon  found  ourselves  among  the  villages  of 
the  Bhuts,  or  genuine  Thibetans.  Instead  of  the 
shorn  head,  the  large,  loosely  tied  turban  and  drab- 
colored  costumes  of  the  Mohammedans  of  Baltistan,  I 
now  saw  for  the  first  time  the  black  felt  cap,  with  a 
rounded  top  that  flapped  down  to  the  wearer's  cheek  ; 
the  hair  gathered  and  twisted  into  a  regular  pig-tail, 
and  a  long,  dark,  monk-like  robe,  reaching  nearly  to 
the  heels.  They  smoked  a  tobacco-pipe  of  iron,  pre 
cisely  resembling  the  common  clay  pipe  of  England. 
The  women,  hideously  dirty  and  not  handsome,  wear 
their  hair  also  in  a  tail,  but  over  it  is  fastened  a 
leathern  strap,  two  inches  and  a  half  in  width,  which 
descends  from  the  top  of  the  head  to  the  heels,  and 
on  this  are  fastened  large  lumps  of  malachite,  brought 
from  the  Chinese  frontier. 

"  The  whole  party  now  sat  down  to  rest  themselves 
and  hold  a  consultation,  as  we  were  approaching  the 
frontiers  of  Ladak,  which  was  in  possession  of  the 
Sikhs.  A  few  were  gathered  around  the  young 
Khan  ;  the  others  sought  repose  and  shade  in  differ 
ent  parts  of  the  rock,  and  their  wild  and  brigand-like 
figures,  dispersed  in  groups,  and  reclining  in  various* 
attitudes  upon  the  gray  stone,  were  quite  in  accord 
ance  with  the  savage  and  chaotic  scenery  around  UB, 
and  fitting  subjects  for  the  pencil  of  Salvator  Rosa. 

"  Near  this  place  I  came  upon  the  first  of  those 
singular  Buddhist  buildings  called  Munis.  They  are 
of  various  shapes,  but  those  in  particular  which  I 
now  saw  had  at  first  the  appearance  of  a  long,  low 
shed,  or  outhouse,  about  twenty  yards  in  length,  five 
feet  high,  and  its  width  may  have  been  about  twelve 


JOURNEY  TO  LADAK  83 

or  fourteen.  Upon  closer  inspection  it  seemed  to 
be  a  solid  mass  of  earth  and  large  pebbles ;  the  roof, 
a  little  raised  in  the  centre,  was  entirely  covered,  and, 
as  it  were,  tiled,  with  flat  stones  of  different  dimen 
sions,  more  or  less  than  a  foot  in  length,  on  every 
one  of  which  was  engraved  the  Buddhist  invocation, 
Om,,  Manipadma,  0/n* 

"  At  Skerwuchun  I  found  the  first  large  village, 
built  after  the  fashion  of  Great  Thibet.  On  the  top 
of  the  hill  where  it  first  came  in  sight  were  some 
more  Munis,  of  a  different  shape.  The  appearance 
of  the  village  was  alike  singular  and  pretty,  and  re 
minded  me  of  those  formed  with  a  child's  toy.  In 
stead  of  the  mud  and  stone  cottages  of  Little  Thibet, 
I  found  small,  square,  and  white  buildings,  neatly 
finished  off  with  projecting  eaves  of  wood.  They 
contained,  apparently,  but  one  room  and  one  window 
each,  the  framework  painted  red.  Each  of  these, 
looking  as  if  it  formed  part  of  one  large  house,  was 
raised  one  above  the  other  on  the  side  of  the  amphi 
theatre,  with  apricots,  mulberries,  and  other  fruit- 
trees  scattered  among  them.  The  Lamas  and  Ge- 
lums,  or  priests  and  priestesses,  were  seated  at  the 
windows,  and  on  the  flat  roofs,  which  they  left  in 
order  to  have  a  nearer  gaze  at  us,  their  dark-red 
robes  and  monastic  appearance  adding  considerably 
to  the  effect  of  the  scene.  They  held  in  one  hand 
the  skuru,  or  praying  cylinder,  which  they  were  in- 

*  Mani  padma,  is  one  of  the  appellations  of  Buddha,  and  signi 
fies  the  Mani,  or  holy  person,  who  has  the  padma,  or  lotus,  for 
his  jewel.  According  to  Professor  Wilson,  the  best  interpretation 
of  the  word  Om  is  :  "Let  us  meditate  on  the  supreme  splendor 
of  that  divine  sun  who  may  illuminate  our  understanding  ! " 


84  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

cessantlj  twirling.  The  skuru  is  of  wood,  four  or 
five  inches  long,  and  shaped  like  a  drum ;  a  spindle 
of  iron  is  passed  through  it,  on  which,  in  the  interior 
of  the  cylinder,  are  wound  written  prayers  and  inter 
jections.  The  lower  end  of  the  spindle  forms  a  han 
dle  by  which  it  is  twirled,  and  on  the  upper  point  is 
fastened  a  bit  of  string,  with  a  ball  at  the  end  of  it. 
This  flies  round  with  great  rapidity,  and  assists  in 
making  the  whirring  noise  which  comes  from  the 
cylinder  when  it  is  turned,  and  which  would  appear 
to  be  considered  as  an  incessant  utterance  of  the 
prayers  contained  within  it. 

"  Upon  our  approach  the  principal  priests  of  the 
place  came  to  salute  us.  They  greeted  Achmet  AH 
Khan  as  if  he  were  come  to  deliver  them  from  the 
yoke  of  the  Sikhs,  and  the  chief  of  them  presented 
me  with  a  small  piece  of  white  cloth,  made  of  a  kind 
of  grass.  Three-quarters  of  a  mile  before  our  arrival 
at  another  village,  called  Kulutzi,  we  found  a  wooden 
bridge  thrown  over  the  Indus,  where  it  rushes  through 
a  rocky  channel,  only  twenty-five  yards  in  width. 

"Gnlab  Sing,  who,  from  the  first  commencement 
of  my  travels  in  the  Alpine  Punjab,  had  looked  upon 
me  with  a  suspicious  eye,  was  exceedingly  unwilling 
that  I  should  visit  Leh,  because,  for  one  reason,  he 
knew  that  Rnnjeet  Sing  would  be  sure  to  ask  me 
all  about  it,  and  the  demand  upon  him  for  revenue 
might  be  thereby  increased.  He  altogether  con 
cealed  all  intelligence  of  his  conquest  from  Runjeet, 
in  the  first  instance.  It  also  became  necessary,  ap 
parently,  that  his  reception  of  me  in  Ladak  should  be 
such  as  would  convince  his  newly  conquered  subjects 


JOURNEY  TO  LADAK  85 

that  he  had  little  respect  for  the  name  of  an  English 
man. 

"  Accordingly,  as  my  Balti  escort  and  myself  were 
proceeding  quietly  on  our  march,  a  Sikh,  accompanied 
by  five  men,  with  lighted  matchlocks,  suddenly  pre 
sented  himself,  told  me  that  I  could  go  no  farther, 
and  coolly  laid  his  hand  on  my  bridle,  but  quickly 
withdrew  it  at  my  bidding.  The  Baltis  gathered 
around  me  and  would  have  overpowered  the  Sikhs  in 
a  moment,  had  I  intimated  a  wish  that  they  should 
do  so ;  but  it  was  not  difficult  to  see  that  I  had  no 
right  to  persist  in  bringing  a  body  of  armed  men, 
even  in  the  guise  of  an  escort,  upon  Gulab  Sing's 
territories,  without  his  permission.  Annoying  as  it 
was,  after  having  come  thus  far,  I  was  obliged  to 
take  A  chin  et  Ali  aside  and  represent  to  him  the  im 
possibility  of  his  proceeding,  against  the  positive 
refusal  of  the  Sikhs,  and  that  if  I  allowed  them  to 
force  their  way,  it  would  afford  Gnlab  Sing  a  just 
pretext  for  a  counter-invasion  of  Iskardo.  In  the 
meantime  the  Sikhs  promised  to  take  care  of  me, 
and  the  affair  ended  by  our  all  sitting  down  upon  the 
ground  and  talking,  until  my  tent  was  pitched  and 
my  dinner  was  prepared.  I  took  leave  of  Achmet 
Ali  and  my  Balti  friends  the  next  morning,  and  then 
proceeded  toward  Leh  in  company  with  my  new  ac 
quaintances. 

"  Before  arriving  at  Ladak  the  country  becomes 
more  open,  and  the  path  descends  to  the  green 
margin  of  the  river,  on  which  goats,  sheep,  and 
cattle  were  feeding.  The  water  of  the  Indus  was 
clear,  and  the  stream  about  forty  yards  wide. 


86  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

"Pituk  is  a  large  and  very  picturesque  village, 
built  on  the  side  of  a  steep  hill ;  its  numerous  rows 
of  Munis,  and  the  red  priests  and  priestesses  moving 
among  them,  gave  it  a  most  singular  and  lively  ap 
pearance.  It  stands  at  the  corner  of  a  large  sandy 
plain,  and  immediately  after  passing  it  I  found  my 
self  within  sight  of  the  town  of  Leh  (Ladak  is  prop 
erly  the  name  of  the  country),  and  at  the  same  time 
could  discern  for  a  great  distance  the  course  of  the 
Indus,  as  it  meandered  toward  me,  through  its  very 
grand  and  open  valley,  from  the  northeast,  and  the 
enormous  mountains  in  the  direction  of  the  Spiti 
valley,  some  of  which  (but  these  were  not  in  sight) 
are  supposed,  by  those  who  have  seen  them  from  the 
passes  behind  Simla,  to  attain  an  elevation  of  upward 
of  thirty  thousand  feet,  or  double  the  height  of  Mont 
Blanc.  Several  villages  were  scattered  along  the 
banks  of  the  river,  and  the  whole  scene  was  exceed 
ingly  enlivening. 

"  Leh  stands  on  the  north  bank,  on  the  eastern 
side  of  the  upper  extremity  of  a  plain,  three  miles  in 
length,  covered  with  sand  and  loose  stones,  and  slop 
ing  gently  down  to  the  bank  of  the  Indus.  A  small 
stream,  which  fertilizes  a  nook  in  the  mountains  be 
hind  the  town,  finds  its  way  through  the  plain,  where 
it  is  so  full  as  to  be  neither  expended  in  irrigation 
nor  lost  in  sand.  On  the  opposite  side  of  the  river  is 
a  very  long  sloping  plain,  of  still  larger  dimensions, 
generally  barren  ;  but  the  upper  part  of  it,  called 
Tok,  was  green  and  well  sprinkled  with  white  vil 
lages.  Behind  it  arose  a  chain  of  very  high  moun 
tains.  Another  chain  of  mountains,  more  than  six- 


JOURNEY  TO  LADAK  87 

teen  thousand  feet  in  height,  rise  beyond  Leh,  and 
divide  the  valley  of  the  Shayok  from  that  of  the 
Indus,  the  nearest  distance  between  them  being  about 
twenty  miles  in  a  direct  line. 

"  The  town  of  Leh  is  about  eleven  thousand  five 
hundred  feet  above  the  sea ;  it  is  situated  at  the  foot 
of  a  spur  from  the  lofty  ridge,  and  contains  four  or 
five  hundred  houses,  with  flat  roofs  and  neatly  fin 
ished  windows. 

"  The  commencement  of  the  high  plains  of  Cen 
tral  Asia  is  but  a  few  days'  march  from  Leh.  The 
only  inhabitants  are  wandering  shepherds,  who  range 
with  their  flocks  and  their  families  over  an  almost 
boundless  extent.  Those  of  Pamir,  or  Bam-i-Dunia 
(the  Hoof  of  the  World),  to  the  westward,  are  16,000 
feet  high.  The  peaks  that  rise  above  them  are  gen 
erally  covered  with  snow,  and  the  cold  is  so  intense 
that  not  only  the  goats  but  other  animals,  such  as  the 
yak,  the  ibex,  and  the  dog,  as  I  have  already  re 
marked,  are  provided  by  nature  with  a  covering  of 
poslim,  or  shawl  wool,  next  the  skin. 

"  When  I  arrived  at  Leh  I  soon  found  that  it  was 
the  intention  of  Gulab  Sing's  agents  to  prevent  me 
from  proceeding  farther.  Nobody  but  my  own  ser 
vants  were  allowed  to  approach  me.  An  old  Pathan 
who  came  to  pay  his  respects  was  ordered  to  quit  my 
tent,  and  was,  I  believe,  actually  beaten  for  what  he 
had  done  ;  and  what  was  worse,  two  Lamas,  who 
came  directly  to  call  upon  me,  and  to  whom  I  began 
to  put  questions  concerning  their  religion,  were  per 
emptorily  ordered  to  leave.  I  was  also  prevented 
from  purchasing  provisions,  or  making  preparations, 


88  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

necessary  for  the  prosecution  of  my  journey.  Even 
if  I  walked  into  the  town  the  bazaars  were  cleared 
and  the  people  hid  themselves,  terrified  at  the  ap 
proach  of  the  ruffians  who,  by  thus  following  me, 
were  virtually  interfering  with  my  projects  and  ren 
dering  me  powerless. 

"  I  several  times  saw  the  temporary  Rajah  of  Leh, 
a  minion  of  Gulab  Sing,  but  the  Sikhs  would  never 
allow  him  to  stop  and  speak  with  me.  One  day  I 
met  him  suddenly  on  horseback,  and  was  struck  with 
the  appearance  of  the  principal  Lama  of  Ladak,  who 
was  in  the  cavalcade ;  his  red  dress  and  broad- 
brimmed  hat  make  me  fancy  for  an  instant  that  I 
beheld  a  cardinal.  I  turned  my  horse  to  ride  with 
the  Rajah,  but  the  Sikh  officer,  Juan  Sing,  instantly 
came  up  and  motioned  him  to  proceed. 

"  I  at  last  determined  to  see  him,  so  one  morning 
suddenly  ordered  my  horse  and  galloped  off  to  the 
Rajah's  residence,  attended  by  my  secretary  and  a 
groom.  The  attendants  endeavored  to  prevent  my 
going  up -stairs,  but  used  no  force.  I  ascended  toward 
the  Rajah's  audience-room,  having  first  frightened 
two  Sikhs  down-stairs,  by  half-drawing  my  sword- 
upon  them.  Then,  attended  by  my  faithful  Thibetan 
secretary,  I  walked  without  ceremony  into  the  Ra 
jah's  chamber.  He  was  seated  alone,  on  a  carpet  at 
the  farther  end  of  it,  near  the  window.  His  dress 
differed  but  little,  except  that  it  was  more  orna 
mented,  from  the  usual  dress  of  the  Thibetans,  and  a 
canopy  of  rich  Chinese  figured  silk  was  suspended 
over  his  head.  His  attendants  and  others  in  the 
apartment  stood  around  at  a  respectful  distance,  and 


JOURNEY  TO  LADAK  89 

wished  me  to  do  the  same,  but  it  was  no  time  to  be 
ceremonious.  I  walked  up  to  the  Rajah,  made  my 
salaam,  and  then  sat  down  close  by  him,  and  warmly 
demanded  assistance  in  the  name  of  the  Maharajah, 
Eunjeet  Sing,  whose  guest,  and  under  whose  protec 
tion,  I  considered  myself. 

"  Juan  Sing,  hearing  that  I  had  gone  to  see  the 
Rajah,  soon  afterward  made  his  appearance,  breath 
less  with  haste  ;  and  the  Rajah,  who  was  decidedly 
alarmed,  told  me  at  last  that  he  was  willing  to  give 
me  the  assistance  I  wanted,  but  that  he  was  pre 
vented  by  the  fear  of  Gulab  Sing.  And  having  got 
this  answer  I  quitted  the  room.  I  afterward  found 
that  there  did  not  seem  to  be  any  longer  an  objection 
to  my  visiting  Nn bra  and  the  Shayok  valley,  pro 
vided  I  did  not  go  farther,  and  I  availed  myself  of 
the  opportunity  of  employing  the  remainder  of  my 
time  so  profitably. 

"  The  way  by  which  I  travelled  first  took  an  east- 
ernly  direction,  over  the  sands,  to  the  village  of  Ayu, 
and  then  turned  to  the  north,  ascending  by  a  long, 
rocky,  and  very  fatiguing  zigzag  to  the  summit  of 
the  pass.  The  thermometer  gave  me  an  elevation  of 
nearly  sixteen  thousand  feet,  the  formation  being  a 
dark-colored  trap.  I  there  suddenly  came  in  view  of 
the  mountain  masses  that  arose  on  the  other  side  of 
the  Shayok,  and  the  whole  horizon  was  serrated  by 
snowy  peaks  in  every  direction.  Among  those  to  the 
north  the  range  of  the  Musdagh  arose  in  conspicuous 
and  most  majestic  grandeur. 

"  A  long  and  cheerless  descent  brought  us  to  the 

village   of   Jugur,  our   resting-place   for  the  night. 
7 


90  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

The  next  morning  we  descended  upon  Morkum,  on 
the  banks  of  the  river.  Above  the  village  the  valley 
assumes  the  appearance  of  a  defile,  and  two  days' 
march  up  its  side  brings  the  traveller  to  the  village  of 
Shayok,  from  which  the  river  takes  its  name.  Be 
yond  this  there  is  not,  I  believe,  any  fixed  human 
habitation  for  the  remainder  of  the  way  to  Yarkand, 
the  whole  distance  to  which  from  Ladak  occupies  a 
little  more  than  a  month. 

"The  road  to  Yarkand  ascends  the  bed  of  the 
river,  which  is  constantly  crossed  and  recrossed  by 
wading ;  and  the  mountains  or  pass  of  Karakoram 
are  in  this  manner  reached  about  the  ninth  or  tenth 
day  from  Ladak.  The  aspect  of  the  lateral  valley  of 
N ubra,  which  enters  that  of  Shayok  on  the  north,  is 
altogether  very  pretty  and  enlivening,  and  I  was  sur 
prised  at  the  number  and  appearance  of  the  houses 
scattered  on  different  parts  of  it.  A  castle  stands  on 
a  rocky  eminence  of  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet 
high,  with  a  village  at  its  foot.  The  villages  are 
numerous  and  picturesquely  built,  after  the  Ladak 
fashion,  and  there  is  no  lack  of  apricot  or  mulberry 
trees  around  them. 

"  I  returned  from  Nubra  to  Leh  by  another  pass, 
to  the  south  of  that  by  which  I  went  thither.  It  was 
of  about  the  same  height,  but  more  covered  with  snow. 

"I  soon  afterward  set  out  on  my  return  to  Is- 
kardo,  where  old  Ahmed  Shah  received  me  with  the 
same  kind  hospitality  that  he  had  ever  shown,  but 
could  not  repress  a  smile,  in  which  I  joined  him, 
at  my  having  run  up  and  down  so  many  miles  of  the 
Indus  to  so  little  purpose. 


JOURNEY  TO  LADAK  91 

"  On  my  way  back  to  the  Punjab,  Gnlab  Sing  took 
occasion  to  send  and  inform  me  that,  if  I  wished,  he 
would  order  Juan  Sing's  nose  to  be  cut  off  and  for 
warded  to  me  by  way  of  punishing  him  for  his  inso 
lence.  He  afterward  sent  one  of  his  principal  secre 
taries  with  a  large  bag  of  rupees,  and  a  valuable 
dress,  as  an  earnest  of  his  wish  that  I  would  come  to 
be  his  guest  at  Jamu,  or  would  give  him  an  inter 
view  on  the  road.  I  refused,  however  ;  and  when  I 
got  to  Lahore  I  made  a  regular  complaint  to  Run- 
jeet  Sing,  at  an  interview  which  he  gave  me  in  his 
private  audience- room." 

Mr.  Vigne  made  another  visit  to  Iskardo  during 
his  stay  in  India,  and  endeavored,  but  without  suc 
cess,  to  reach  the  little  Alpine  state  of  Gilgit,  lying 
to  the  northwest,  between  the  Indus  and  the  source 
of  the  Oxus.  A  second  attempt  to  ascend  the 
Shayok  branch  of  the  Indus  to  its  source  in  the  lofty 
Karakoram  range  was  also  unsuccessful.  His  ex 
plorations,  however,  established  a  broad  base  of 
knowledge  of  the  Upper  Indus  and  the  Thibetan 
Himalayas,  from  which  all  expeditions  toward  Cen 
tral  Asia  have  since  been  undertaken.  He  returned 
to  England  in  1839,  after  an  absence  of  seven  years. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

MR.     SHAW'S    PREPARATIONS    TO    EXPLORE    CENTRAL 
ASIA 

FOR  several  years  after  the  murder  of  Adolf 
Schlagintweit  became  known  there  was  no 
further  attempt  made  to  follow  in  his  footsteps. 
Little  by  little,  however,  the  sum  of  information 
concerning  the  region  was  increased  by  intercourse 
with  those  of  its  natives  who  visited  Ladak,  by  the 
Hindoos  sent  thither  by  the  English  surveying  offi 
cers,  and  by  brief  excursions  along  and  over  the 
frontiers  of  the  dangerous  territory.  In  1858  a  Rus 
sian  officer,  Captain  Valikhanoff,  who  was  the  son 
of  a  Kirghiz  chief,  disguised  himself  as  a  wandering 
trader  of  the  tribe,  succeeded  in  crossing  the  range 
of  the  Thian-Shan,  and  penetrated  to  Kashgar, 
when  he  was  compelled  to  return.  On  the  southern, 
or  Thibetan  side,  Mr.  Johnson,  an  officer  of  the  Eng 
lish  survey,  crossed  the  range  of  the  Kuen-Liin,  and 
safely  reached  the  city  of  Khoten,  where  he  was 
received  in  a  very  friendly  manner  by  the  native 
chief. 

In  the  meantime  important  political  changes  had 
taken  place.  The  Tartar  chief  Walle'  Khan,  by 
whose  order  Schlagintweit  was  executed,  did  not 
succeed  in  gaining  possession  of  the  cities  of  Yar- 


PREPARATIONS  TO  EXPLORE  CENTRAL  ASIA    93 


kand  and  Kashgar,  which  were  still  held  by  their 
Chinese  garrisons,  but  his  invasion  had  the  effect  of 
stirring  up  all  the  elements  of  revolution  among  a 
people  so  mixed  in  blood.  In  the  spring  of  1863 
the  Toonganees,  who  are  said  to  have  sprung  from 
the  intermarriage  of 
Tartars  and  Chinese, 
using  the  language 
of  the  latter  while 
they  are  Mussulmen 
in  religion,  rose 
against  the  Chinese 
officers  in  Yarkand 
and  Khoten,  and, 
after  a  severe  strug 
gle,  gained  posses 
sion  of  both  places. 
In  Kashgar  the  Chi 
nese,  anticipating  a 
similar  revolt,  invit 
ed  the  Toonganees 
to  a  feast  and  then 
massacred  them  all 
in  cold  blood. 

Through  these 
events  the  whole  country  was  aroused.  Immediately 
the  Kirghiz  Tartars  descended  from  all  the  neighbor 
ing  mountain  regions,  drawn  together  by  the  desire  of 
plunder,  and  attacked  Kashgar.  The  Chinese  and 
their  Turcoman  partisans  defended  the  city  until  they 
were  reduced  to  the  greatest  straits.  "  First  they  ate 
their  horses,  then  the  dogs  and  cats,  then  their  leather 


Eastern  Camel. 


94  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

boots  and  straps,  the  saddles  of  their  horses,  and  the 
strings  of  their  bows.  At  last  they  would  collect  to 
gether  in  parties  of  five  or  six,  who  would  go  prowl 
ing  about  with  ravenous  eyes  until  they  saw  some  one 
alone,  some  unfortunate  comrade  who  still  retained 
the  flesh  on  his  bones.  They  would  drag  him  aside 
and  kill  him,  afterward  dividing  the  flesh  between 
them,  and  each  carrying  off  a  piece  hidden  under  his 
robe."  Thirty  or  forty  men  died  of  hunger  every 
day.  At  last,  when  no  defenders  were  left  on  the 
walls  or  at  the  gateways,  the  Kirghiz  made  good  their 
entrance. 

Their  victory  was  marked  by  indescribable  bar 
barities.  The  whole  city  was  given  up  to  plunder, 
and  numbers  of  men,  women,  and  children  were  mur 
dered.  In  the  midst  of  these  horrors  a  new  force 
appeared  upon  the  scene.  The  news  that  Walle 
Khan  had  subjugated  all  the  open  country  had 
crossed  the  western  mountains  ;  and  a  member  of  the 
royal  Tartar  family  which  reigned  in  Central  Asia 
more  than  a  hundred  years  ago,  Bozoorg  Khan,  ac 
companied  by  Mohammad  Yakoob,  an  energetic 
general,  a  native  of  the  Khanate  of  Khokand,  gath-' 
ered  together  eighty  followers  and  set  out  to  recon 
quer  his  lost  inheritance.  The  people  of  Kashgar  wel 
comed  him  with  professions  of  allegiance,  and  his 
little  band  of  adventurers  soon  became  so  strong  that 
they  routed  the  plundering  Kirghiz,  seized  and  exe 
cuted  many  of  the  chiefs,  and  established  themselves 
in  the  city.  This  took  place  in  January,  1864. 

The  Chinese  still  held  the  strong  fortress  of  Yang- 
liissar,    situated    about   five   miles   to   the   south   of 


PREPARATIONS  TO  EXPLORE  CENTRAL  ASIA    95 

Kashgar.  Bozoorg  Khan,  reinforced  by  five  hun 
dred  men  from  Kliokand,  commenced  a  siege,  which 
lasted  fourteen  months  before  the  supplies  of  the 
garrison  were  exhausted.  From  the  accounts  given 
by  the  people,  he  was  an  indolent  man,  whose  only 
interest  was  in  the  ceremonies  belonging  to  his  new 
royal  state.  The  leading  spirit  of  the  movement  was 
Mohammad  Yakoob,  who  was  formerly  known  to  the 
Russians  as  a  bold  and  desperate  fighter,  and  bore  on 
his  body  five  marks  left  by  their  musket-balls.  Tired 
of  the  slow  siege  operations,  Mohammad  Yakoob 
took  a  small  body  of  soldiers  and  marched  against 
Yarkand,  which  had  been  for  a  year  in  the  posses 
sion  of  the  Toonganees.  A  battle  was  fought  under 
the  walls  of  the  city,  but  he  was  defeated  and  obliged 
to  retreat.  The  Toonganees  and  their  allies  fol 
lowed.  Having  rapidly  reinforced  his  army,  he  lay 
in  wait  in  the  jungle,  near  a  town  called  Kizil,  and 
completely  routed  the  enemy,  after  which  he  was 
obliged  to  return  to  Kashgar  to  suppress  some  dis 
sensions  which  had  broken  out  among  the  besiegers. 

Early  in  1865  the  Amban,  or  Chinese  Governor 
of  the  fortress,  called  a  council  of  his  chief  officers 
and  proposed  making  terms  with  Mohammad  Ya 
koob.  The  officers  assented,  and  began  apportioning 
among  themselves  the  respective  shares  they  should 
furnish  as  a  present  to  the  conqueror.  Meanwhile 
the  Amban,  who  had  collected  his  whole  family — his 
daughters  behind  his  seat,  and  his  sons  serving  tea  to 
the  guests,  who  were  seated  on  chairs  around  the 
room — listened  attentively  for  signs  of  the  capture  of 
the  place.  Presently  he  heard  the  shouts  of  Allahoo- 


96  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

akJibar!  by  which  the  Mussulmen  announced  their 
entry  into  the  fortress.  Thereupon  he  took  his  long 
pipe  from  his  mouth,  and  shook  the  burning  ashes 
out  on  a  certain  spot  of  the  floor,  where  a  train  of 
gunpowder  communicated  with  a  barrel  which  he 
had  previously  prepared  under  the  floor  of  the  room. 
While  the  unconscious  officers  were  still  consulting 
about  a  surrender  the  house  was  blown  up  and  all 
perished  in  the  ruins. 

Having  now  the  use  of  his  whole  army  Moham 
mad  Yakoob  took  a  city  called  Maralbashee,  by 
which  he  cut  oft  the  communication  between  the 
allies  of  the  Toonganees  at  Yarkand  and  their  homes. 
lie  then  advanced  against  Yarkand,  which,  after  a 
siege  of  a  month,  was  forced  to  surrender.  These 
successes  so  increased  Mohammad  Yakoob's  popu 
larity  with  the  soldiers,  and  his  influence  over  the 
people,  that  he  felt  himself  able  to  assume  the  sov 
ereignty.  Quietly  ignoring  Bozoorg  Khan,  the  heir 
to  the  ancient  throne,  who  had  given  himself  up  to 
idleness  and  debauchery,  he  sent  his  envoys  to  the 
neighboring  nations,  and  took  into  his  own  hands  the 
government  of  the  kingdom. 

After  having  spent  two  years  in  consolidating  his 
power,  Mohammad  Yakoob  set  about  extending  his 
conquests.  His  first  march  was  against  Khoten,  and 
it  was  darkly  signalized  by  an  act  of  treachery  to 
ward  the  chief  of  that  province  and  all  his  principal 
men,  who  were  invited  to  visit  the  conqueror  and 
then  basely  assassinated.  The  city  of  Khoten  re 
sisted,  and  was  only  taken  after  3,000  men  had  been 
slaughtered.  During  the  same  year,  1867,  he  subju- 


PREPARATIONS  TO  EXPLORE  CENTRAL  ASIA    97 

gated  the  eastern  countries  of  Ak-su,  Koo-chee  and 
other  regions  inhabited  by  a  mixed  Tartar  popula 
tion,  who  had  long  been  under  Chinese  rule. 

The  news  that  the  Russians  were  constructing  a 
fortress  in  a  pass  near  the  head-waters  of  the  Syr- 
daria,  or  Jaxartes,  a  week's  journey  westward  from 
Kashgar,  compelled  Mohammad  Yakoob  to  return 
from  his  eastern  conquests.  In  the  autumn  of  1868 
he  received  a  visit  from  Captain  Reinthal,  a  Russian 
officer,  and  soon  afterward  sent  an  envoy  of  his  own 
to  St.  Petersburg.  At  the  same  time  he  set  about 
fortifying  the  passes  in  the  high  range  of  the  Thian- 
Shan,  to  the  north  of  Kashgar.  In  the  winter  of 
1869  he  also  took  possession  of  the  high  valley  or 
tableland  of  Sirikol,  part  of  that  region  called  Pamir 
(Pamere),  where  the  Oxns  finds  its  source. 

The  success  of  Mohammad  Yakoob  was  the  means 
by  which  Central  Asia  was  opened  to  European  ex 
plorers.  The  dangers  which  surrounded  this  region 
were  not  the  terrific  mountain-passes,  far  higher 
than  those  of  the  Andes — not  the  character  of  the 
inhabitants,  many  of  whom  are  of  Aryan  blood,  arid 
nearly  all  of  whom  are  cheerful,  social,  and  hospita 
ble — but  the  jealousy  and  suspicion  of  all  previous 
rulers,  whether  Tartar  or  Chinese.  The  first  trav 
eller  who  was  so  fortunate  as  to  take  advantage  of 
the  new  state  of  things  was  Mr.  Robert  Shaw.  In 
twelve  years  after  Schlagintweit's  fate  seemed  to 
illustrate  the  impossibility  of  such  an  undertaking, 
he  reached  Yarkand  and  Kashgar,  and  returned  in 
safety. 

For  several  years  Mr.  Shaw  had  been  stationed  in 


98       TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

the  Kangra  Valley,  among  the  Himalayas.  Re 
peated  shooting  excursions,  extended  as  far  as  Cash 
mere,  had  rendered  him  familiar  with  Asiatic  travel, 
and  his  familiarity  with  the  southern  side  of  that 
gigantic  mountain-wall  which  defends  India  on  the 
north  led  him  to  desire  an  acquaintance  with  the 
half-known  or  unknown  regions  beyond  it.  Katives 
from  Ladak  frequently  made  their  appearance  in 
the  Kangra  Valley.  "  Black  tents  of  peculiar  make 
appear  for  a  few  days  at  a  time  in  the  winter  on 
open  spaces  by  the  roadsides,  and  shelter  dingy  fam 
ilies  of  narrow-eyed  Thibetans — petty  traders,  who 
come  down  with  their  wares.  They  are  not  prepos 
sessing  in  appearance,  with  their  high  cheek-bones, 
their  dirt,  and  their  long  pig-tails.  But  they  are  the 
most  good-tempered  of  mortals,  and  they  always 
greet  you  with  a  grin. 

"  Moreover,  every  year  the  few  English  sportsmen 
who  penetrate  into  the  wilder  parts  of  Ladak  bring 
down  reports  of  the  wonderful  animals  to  be  found 
there,  and  of  the  curious  customs  of  the  Buddhist 
inhabitants.  Wild  sheep  as  large  as  ponies,  wild 
cattle  with  bushy  tails  like  horses,  and  long  hair  on 
their  flanks  reaching  nearly  to  the  ground,  besides  an 
telopes  and  gazelles,  are  to  be  obtained  by  those  who 
toil  sufficiently ;  while,  for  non-sportsmen,  the  curi 
ous  monasteries  perched  on  almost  inaccessible  rocks, 
with  their  Romish  ceremonial,  their  prayer-wheels, 
their  gigantic  images,  and  ancient  manuscripts,  form 
the  chief  attraction. 

"  But  while  Ladak  was  thus  tolerably  well  known, 
though  situated  at  the  distance  of  nearly  a  month's 


PREPARATIONS  TO  EXPLORE  CENTRAL  ASIA    90 

march  across  the  mountains,  the  region  beyond  it 
seemed  to  combine  all  the  attractions  of  mystery  and 
remoteness.  Some  few  native  traders  had  been 
known  to  penetrate  to  the  distant  marts  of  Yarkand, 
and  even  Kashgar,  and  they  brought  back  frightful 
tales  of  toil  endured  and  of  perils  escaped.  Men's 
lives  were  there  said  to  be  of  no  more  account  than 
sheep's,  and  few  traders  ever  dared  to  repeat  the 
venture.  Rumors  of  rebellion  in  those  regions  also 
reached  India.  The  subject  Moghuls,  a  Mussulman 
race,  were  said  to  have  risen  and  massacred  their 
Chinese  masters,  and  to  have  established  the  inde 
pendence  of  the  '  Land  of  the  Six  Cities,'  as  they 
called  the  country  which  is  shown  in  our  maps  as 
Chinese  Tartary." 

Attracted  toward  this  region  in  1867,  Mr.  Shaw 
extended  his  usual  yearly  excursion  as  far  as  Ladak. 
Mr.  Shaw  gives  a  most  vivid  and  picturesque  de 
scription  of  the  scenery  and  the  sights  which  the 
traveller  encounters  on  the  way. 

"  After  leaving  the  narrow  fir-crowned  gorges,  the 
precipitous  cliffs,  and  the  glacier-passes  of  the  real 
Himalaya,  we  entered  upon  the  vast  tableland  of 
Thibet  in  the  district  called  Roopshoo  ;  which,  how 
ever,  reminds  one  at  first  sight  of  the  British  sol 
diers'  remarks  about  Abyssinia :  '  Well,  if  it  is  a 
table,  it  is  a  table  with  all  the  legs  uppermost.' 

"  Lying  at  an  elevation  equal  to  that  of  Mont 
Blanc,  this  plateau  consists  of  broad  valleys  without 
water,  which  seem  a  few  hundred  yards  wide,  and  aro 
really  plains  of  many  miles  in  extent.  On  either  side 
arise  rolling  mountains  of  all  shades  of  red,  yellow, 


100  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

and  black  ;  the  rock  occasionally  cropping  out  near 
the  summit  to  break  the  uniformity  of  the  long 
shingly  slopes  of  debris.  Everything  is  bare  gravel, 
both  mountains  and  plains.  Not  a  glimpse  of  ver 
dure  is  to  be  seen,  save  in  some  slight  depression 
where  the  eye  at  a  distance  catches  a  faint  yellow 
gleam  along  the  ground,  which  a  nearer  approach 
shows  to  be  the  effect  of  some  scattered  blades  of  a 
harsh  and  prickly  grass,  piercing  up  through  the 
gravel  like  so  many  discolored  porcupine  quills. 
When  you  begin  to  despair  of  finding  those  great 
traveller's  requisites,  water  and  wood,  your  guide 
will  lead  you  into  a  recess  of  the  hills,  where  a  small 
stream  derived  from  some  distant  snow-bed  far  up 
the  hill-sides,  has  given  rise,  before  disappearing 
under  the  gravel,  to  a  thicket  of  brushwood  two  or 
three  feet  high,  and  where  groups  of  shallow  pits 
surrounded  by  loose  stone  walls,  each  with  its  rough 
fireplace  in  the  middle,  point  out  where  the  wander 
ing  tribes  of  Thibetans  occasionally  pitch  their  tents. 
If  you  are  wise,  you  will  take  advantage  of  these 
sheltering  side-walls,  low  and  creviced  though  they 
be,  for  suddenly,  in  the  afternoon,  there  will  arise  a 
terrific  blast  of  deadly  cold  wind,  which  will  numb 
all  the  life  in  your  body  under  a  dozen  covers,  if  it 
strike  you.  The  Thibetan  traveller  cares  for  no  roof 
overhead  if  he  can  shelter  himself  from  the  wind 
behind  a  three  foot  high  wall.  Hence  the  numerous 
little  stone  enclosures  clustered  together  like  cells  of  a 
honeycomb  at  every  halting-place,  with  one  side  al 
ways  raised  against  the  prevailing  wind.  While  thus 
sheltering  himself  from  the  cold  of  the  afternoon,  the 


PREPARATIONS  TO  EXPLORE  CENTRAL  ASIA    101 

traveller  will  scarcely  believe  he  is  in  the  same  conn- 
try  where  in  the  morning  he  was  guarding  against 
sunstroke,  and  nearly  blinded  by  the  insufferable 
glare. 

"  It  is  a  terribly  unsatisfactory  country  to  travel 
in.  On  those  endless  plains  you  never  seem  to  arrive 
anywhere.  For  hours  you  march  toward  the  same 
point  of  the  compass,  seeing  ever  the  same  objects  in 
front  of  you.  If  you  discover  another  party  of 
travellers  coming  toward  you  in  the  distance,  you 
may  travel  for  half  a  day  before  you  meet  them. 
The  air  is  so  clear  that  there  is  no  perspective  ; 
everything  appears  in  one  plane,  and  that  close  to  the 
eyes. 

"Approaching  a  village,  you  pass  a  long,  low, 
broad  wall,  covered  with  flat  stones,  inscribed  with 
sacred  sentences  in  two  different  styles  of  the 
Thibetan  character.  This  is  a  'Mane,'  and  not  a 
village  is  without  several  of  them.  At  each  end, 
there  is  probably  a  '  Chorten,'  in  form  a  large  square 
pedestal,  surmounted  by  a  huge  inverted  tea-pot,  all 
whitewashed  ;  while  crowning  all  is  a  small  wooden 
globe  or  crescent  supported  on  a  sort  of  obelisk. 
These  erections,  varying  from  ten  to  twenty  feet  in 
height,  are  supposed  to  contain  the  remains  of 
sainted  Lamas,  whose  bodies  have  there  been  buried 
in  a  standing  position.  Little  pigeon-holes  at  the 
sides  are  filled  with  numerous  small  medallions,  look 
ing  like  lava  ornaments.  They  are  moulded  into 
wonderful  figures  of  hundred-handed  deities,  vene 
rated  by  this  denomination  of  Buddhists,  and  are 
composed  of  clay,  mixed  with  the  ashes  of  other 


102  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

dead   Lamas,    who    are   thus,   in   a   material   sense, 
transformed  at  death  into  the  image  of  their  gods. 

"  On  reaching  one  of  these  structures,  the  devout 
Thibetan  invariably  passes  it  on  his  right ;  hence  the 
road  here  always  bifurcates  to  allow  of  this  being 
done  both  by  goers  and  by  comers.  The  scattered 
houses  of  the  village  are  flat-roofed,  two-storied, 
built  of  huge  sun-dried  bricks,  with  walls  sloping 
considerably  inward,  and  finished  off  with  brilliant 
white  and  red  stucco  over  the  doors  and  windows. 
On  the  roofs  are  generally  small  piles  of  horns 
(either  of  wild  animals  or  of  domestic  sheep  and 
goats)  stuck  all  over  with  small  flags  and  rags  of 
colored  cotton.  Fierce-looking  black  'yaks'  (the 
cattle  of  Thibet),  with  their  bushy  tails,  and  long  hair 
hanging  below  their  knees  and  giving  them  a  petti- 
coated  appearance,  graze  about  the  fields  or  grunt 
discontentedly  as  they  are  led  in  by  the  nose  to  carry 
the  traveller's  baggage.  They  are  generally  con 
ducted  by  the  women,  who  wear  red  and  blue  petti 
coats  with  the  stripes  disposed  up  and  down,  cloth 
boots  gartered  up  to  the  knee,  tight-fitting  jackets 
covered  with  a  sheepskin  cape  (hair  inward),  some 
times  lined  with  a  scarlet  cloth,  bare  heads  with 
curious  cloth  lappets  protecting  both  ears  from  the 
bitter  wind,  and  above  all,  a  '  perak,'  their  most  pre 
cious  ornament,  consisting  of  a  broad  strip  of  leather 
hanging  down  the  back  from  the  top  of  the  head,  and 
sown  all  over  with  rows  of  large  false  turquoises 
gradually  dwindling  away  to  single  stones  near  the 
tip.  The  men,  beardless  all,  wear  similar  cloth  boots, 
thick  woollen  frocks  girt  round  the  waist  and  just 


THIBETAN    PEASANT. 


PREPARATIONS  TO  EXPLORE  CENTRAL  ASIA    103 

peaching  below  the  top  of  the  leggings,  and  on  their 
pig-tailed  head  a  kind  of  black  Phrygian  cap,  like 
an  English  drayman's,  of  which  the  hanging  end 
serves  a  variety  of  purposes,  being  brought  down 
either  to  shade  the  eyes  from  the  sun  or  to  shelter 
either  ear  from  the  cold,  chilly  blasts  of  the  after 
noon. 

"  Among  the  group  collected  to  stare  at  the  trav 
eller  there  is  generally  a  Lama,  dressed  in  a  red 
robe  which  allows  one  arm  and  shoulder  to  be  bare, 
as  is  also  the  head.  In  his  hand  he  carries  a  prayer- 
cylinder,  which  he  whirls  round  on  its  wooden  handle 
by  an  almost  imperceptible  motion  of  the  hand,  aided 
by  a  string  and  small  weight  attached  to  it,  and  as 
sisting  the  rotation.  Perched  on  some  neighboring 
pinnacle,  or  jammed  against  the  vertical  face  of  some 
rock,  is  the  Lama's  monastery.  Such  is  a  Thibetan 
village,  without  a  tree  except  a  few  stunted  willows 
along  the  life-giving  water-courses ;  while  all  above, 
to  the  very  edge,  is  a  howling  wilderness  of  gravel, 
with  no  signs  of  man's  existence. 

"  In  the  broad  valley  of  the  upper  Indus,  which 
constitutes  Ladak,  the  villages  in  places  extend  con 
tinuously  for  several  miles.  The  crops  are  here 
wonderfully  luxuriant,  and  the  climate  is  milder,  the 
elevation  being  only  11,000  feet.  The  town  of  Leh 
itself  is  nestled  under  the  hills,  at  a  distance  from 
the  river  of  some  four  miles  up  a  long,  gentle  gravel 
ly  slope. 

"  Arriving  here,  I  was  preparing  to  study  the 
Thibetan  manners  and  customs  more  attentively,  but 
the  first  walk  through  the  town  at  once  dispelled  aH 


104:  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

the  rather  contemptuous  interest  which  I  had  begun 
to  take  in  the  people  of  the  place,  by  introducing  a 
greater  interest  in  lieu  thereof.  For  stalking  about 
the  streets,  or  seated  in  silent  rows  along  the  bazaar, 
were  to  be  seen  men  of  a  different  type  from  those 
around.  Their  large  white  turbans,  their  beards, 
their  long  and  ample  outer  robes,  reaching  nearly  to 
the  ground  and  open  in  front,  showing  a  shorter 
imder-coat  girt  at  the  waist,  their  heavy  riding-boots 
of  black  leather,  all  gave  them  an  imposing  air  ; 
while  their  dignified  manners,  so  respectful  to  others, 
and  yet  so  free  from  Indian  cringing  or  Thibetan  buf 
foonery,  made  them  seem  like  men  among  monkeys 
compared  with  the  people  around  them. 

"  Perhaps  it  was  partly  the  thought  of  their  mys 
terious  home  which  imparted  to  these  Toorkee  mer 
chants  such  a  halo  of  interest.  Visitants  from  a 
world  of  hitherto  forbidden  access  to  all  others,  these 
very  men  must  have  witnessed  the  tremendous  ven 
geance  which,  like  a  second  Sicilian  Vespers,  had 
recently  consigned  50,000  invaders  to  a  violent  death. 
They  had  probably  themselves  taken  part  in  the  mas 
sacre  of  the  Chinese  idolaters.  Their  eyes  must  be 
quite  accustomed  to  the  wholesale  executions  which 
were  said  to  be  of  daily  occurrence  in  those  distracted 
regions.  Their  ancestors,  right  back  to  the  time  of 
Tamerlane  and  Genghiz  Khan,  must  have  taken 
part  in  those  convulsions  which,  originating  in  Cen 
tral  Asia,  have  been  felt  even  in  the  distant  West." 

It  was  fortunate  for  Mr.  Shaw  that  just  at  this 
time  the  Indian  Government  enforced  a  considerable 
reduction  of  the  duties  on  the  trade  between  Cash- 


PREPARATIONS  TO  EXPLORE  CENTRAL  ASIA    105 

-mere,  Ladak,  and  Central  Asia.  The  natives  of 
Yarkand,  who  were  then  in  Leh,  came  to  him  to  ex 
press  their  gratitude  for  the  measure,  and  it  was 
evident  that  the  good  reports  sent  home  would  en 
able  him  to  undertake  the  journey  under  very  favor 
able  auspices.  He  stayed  a  month  at  Leh,  studying 
the  character  of  the  people,  and  collecting  informa 
tion.  Leaving  late  in  October,  he  was  barely  able, 
by  forced  marches,  to  cross  the  pass  into  India,  be 
fore  it  was  closed  for  the  season  by  the  snow.  Hav 
ing  finally  reached  his  home  in  the  Kangra  Valley, 
he  at  once  began  to  prepare  for  an  expedition  the 
following  year.  His  companion  was  not  able  to  ac 
company  him,  so  he  determined  to  go  alone,  as  an 
English  merchant,  with  a  stock  of  goods  suited  to  the 
markets  of  Yarkand  and  Kashgar. 

In  order  to  avoid  suspicion,  Mr.  Shaw  decided  to 
make  no  measurements,  take  no  observations,  and  to 
rely  on  a  small  prismatic  compass,  which  might  be 
considered  as  a  trinket  by  the  natives.  As  an  assist 
ant  and  confidential  agent,  he  engaged  a  Mussulman 
named  Diwan  Baksh,  who  had  been  in  his  service  as 
a  writer.  The  latter  understood  Persian  and  Arabic, 
was  familiar  with  the  etiquette  of  the  native  courts, 
and  the  fact  that  he  had  a  family  in  the  Kangra 
Valley  seemed  to  be  a  sufficient  guarantee  for  his 
fidelity. 

8 


CHAPTEE  X. 

JOURNEY  TO  THE  KARAKASH  RIVER 

ON  May  6,  1868,  Mr.  Shaw  started  on  his  second 
journey  to  Ladak.  His  progress  at  first  was 
very  slow.  His  assumed  character  of  merchant 
obliged  him  to  take  a  large  quantity  of  goods,  the 
transport  of  which  became  a  serious  matter.  He  was 
obliged  to  go  ahead  and  provide  change  of  mules 
or  porters,  at  the  end  of  every  seven  or  eight  days' 
march.  On  reaching  the  valley  of  Kooloo,  a  native 
doctor,  maintained  there  by  the  Government,  came 
to  report  that  an  orphan  boy  of  Yarkand,  the  only 
survivor  of  a  family  which  had  gone  on  a  pilgrimage 
to  Mecca  two  or  three  years  before,  had  been  left  in 
his  hands,  lie  was  a  rosy,  fat-cheeked  youth,  ap 
parently  quite  self-possessed  and  happy,  with  high 
cheek-bones  and  narrow  eyes,  very  Mongolian  in 
type,  dressed  in  a  curious  combination  of  the  gar 
ments  of  Mecca,  India,  and  Turkestan.  He  wore  a 
red  skull-cap  from  the  first  place,  a  white  cotton 
frock  from  the  second,  with  a  stout  pair  of  Yarkand 
riding-boots  reaching  to  the  knee.  When  Mr.  Shaw 
asked  him  whether  he  would  accompany  him  back  to 
his  old  home,  he  at  once  answered,  "  Yes."  He  was 
immediately  attached  to  the  expedition,  in  the  belief 
that  his  restoration  to  his  family  would  be  a  good 
introduction  to  the  officials  of  Yarkand. 


JOURNEY  TO   THE  KARAKASII  RIVER     107 

•  The  Bara  Lacha  pass  of  the  Himalayas,  by  which 
Ladak  is  entered,  could  not  be  crossed  until  July  2d, 
on  account  of  its  great  elevation  and  the  quantity  of 
snow.  Mr.  Shaw  thus  describes  the  region : 

"The  Bara  Lacha  is  the  boundary  between  two 
separate  regions  distinguished  by  their  physical  char 
acters.  That  which  we  have  already  passed  through 
may  be  called  the  true  Himalayan  region.  Here  the 
gigantic  ranges  are  covered  with  perpetual  snow,  fur 
rowed  by  glaciers,  and  they  rise  from  amid  dense 
forests  which  clothe  their  flanks  up  to  a  certain  eleva 
tion.  They  are  separated  by  deep  gorges,  whose 
sides  are  precipices,  and  through  which  large  rivers 
flow.  In  fact,  the  scenery  is  Alpine. 

"  Henceforward,  however,  we  must  bear  in  mind 
that  we  are  in  the  barren  or  Thibetan  region,  where 
green  spots  are  about  as  rare  as  islands  in  the  ocean, 
and  universal  gravel  is  the  rule." 

Before  proceeding  to  Leh,  the  capital,  Mr.  Shaw 
determined  to  make  a  trip  to  the  eastward  of  Ladak, 
skirting  the  borders  of  Chinese  Thibet,  in  order  to 
avoid  the  town  by  crossing  the  Indus  higher  up  its 
course,  and  strike  into  a  new  route  which  was  sup 
posed  to  lead  more  directly  into  Eastern  Turkestan. 
He  left  the  main  route  to  Leh  at  a  point  called 
Rookshin,  and  travelled  eastward  for  twelve  days 
over  the  high  tableland  of  Roopshoo,  the  average 
elevation  of  which  is  15,000  feet  above  the  sea,  while 
the  scattered  peaks  frequently  rise  to  the  height  of 
20,000.  The  road  then  gradually  descended  toward 
the  valley  of  the  Indus,  after  crossing  which  and  an 
other  barren  range  of  mountains,  Mr.  Shaw  reached 


108  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

the  Pangong  Lake,  on  the  Chinese  frontier.  Writ 
ing  from  his  camp  on  its  shores,  on  July  20th,  he 
gives  the  following  picture  of  the  scenery  : 

"  It  is  altogether  about  eighty  miles  long,  but  only 
four  or  five  miles  wide.  The  color  of  its  water,  the 
shape  of  its  mountains,  the  climate  (at  this  moment), 
everything  almost,  reminds  me  of  the  lake  of  Ge 
neva.  But  there  is  one  great  exception  to  be  made  : 
there  is  not  one  blade  of  green  !  For  the  distant 
mountain  view  this  does  not  make  much  difference. 
The  purples  and  blues  remain  the  same.  But,  for  the 
nearer  view  the  alteration  is  most  striking.  Instead 
of  the  green  vineyards  and  trees  of  Lausanne  and 
Yevay,  you  have  a  great  sloping  plain  of  gravelly 
white  sand,  with  less  grass  than  on  a  well-trodden 
gravel  walk.  The  lake  being  brackish,  although 
beautifully  clear  and  deep  blue,  does  not  produce  any 
grass  on  its  banks. 

"  Four  or  five  days  ago  we  crossed  the  upper  In 
dus  (northeastward).  The  stream  was  only  fifty 
yards  across — rather  a  contrast  with  the  same  river 
as  it  passes  through  the  Punjab  and  Sinde,  where 
during  the  floods  it  is  ten  miles  wide  !  Have  you 
noticed  what  a  curious  course  it  has  ?  It  rises  in  the 
mysterious  and  sacred  lake  of  Mansorawar,  near  the 
source  of  the  great  Brahmapootra.  It  runs  north 
west  for  many  hundred  miles  before  its  course  be 
comes  known.  It  continues  in  the  same  direction 
through  Ladak  and  Baltistan,  after  which  it  again 
enters  a  mysterious  and  unexplored  country,  where  it 
entirely  changes  its  direction,  emerging  at  Attock, 
with  a  southwesterly  course  through  the  Punjab  and 


JOURNEY  TO  THE  KARAKASH  RIVER     109 

"Sinde.     It  is  very  curious  knowing  little  bits  of  a 
river,  while  the  rest  is  altogether  unknown." 

A  week  later,  Mr.  Shaw  met  Dr.  Cayley,  then 
British  Resident  at  Leh,  who  had  been  exploring  the 
region  eastward,  as  far  as  the  Kuen-Lun  range.  On 
returning  with  him  to  Leh,  which  place  they  reached 
in  the  beginning  of  August,  Mr.  Shaw  found  there 
a  Yarkand  envoy  who  was  on  his  way  homeward 
from  a  mission  to  Cashmere.  Here  was  an  oppor 
tunity  too  auspicious  to  be  neglected.  "  I  mentioned 
to  him,"  says  Mr.  Shaw,  "  that  I  intended  to  go  as 
far  as  the  Karakash  River,  where  Dr.  Cayley  had 
just  been.  He  said,  '  If  you  come  as  far  as  that,  you 
must  come  on  to  Yarkand  ;  for  how  could  I  report 
to  my  King  that  I  had  left  an  Englishman  so  near 
his  country  ? '  I  said  that  I  heard  a  great  report  of 
the  justice  and  greatness  of  his  King,  so  that  I  was 
devoured  by  a  desire  to  go  and  witness  his  virtues 
for  myself,  and  that  I  should  be  very  happy  to  join 
him  (the  envoy)  in  his  journey,  if  he  were  willing. 
He  said,  '  Certainly,  he  would  take  me.'  Afterward, 
I  had  another  private  talk  with  him.  I  said  that 
perhaps  my  best  plan  would  be  to  ask  permission  of 
his  King  first,  and,  for  that  purpose,  to  send  my 
agent  with  him.  He  replied,  l  Khoob  ast '  ('  It  is 
good '),  and  promised  that  an  answer  should  reach 
me  at  Leh  in  forty  days.  After  giving  him  and 
his  suite  some  tea  to  drink,  I  again  said,  '  Then 
I  will  consider  it  settled  that  my  servant  goes  with 
you,  if  that  be  your  pleasure.'  He  turned  round,  and 
clapped  my  man  on  the  back  in  a  hearty  way,  saying, 
4  Of  course,  it  is  my  pleasure — he  is  my  brother.1 


110  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

Since  then  he  has  desired  my  man,  Diwan  Bakhsh, 
to  be  in  readiness  to  accompany  him  ;  so  I  trust  that 
is  settled.  I  intend  to  send  with  him  some  presents 
for  the  King  and  other  chiefs  there,  in  order  to  pro 
cure  permission  for  myself  to  follow.  The  envoy,  I 
hear,  has  just  sent  off  a  letter  to  his  master,  saying 
that  an  Englishman  (myself)  whom  he  had  met  at 
Lahore  when  he  went  down  to  visit  the  Lord-Sahib 
(the  Governor  of  the  Punjab),  had  now  come  to  La- 
dak,  and  had  asked  to  be  allowed  to  go  with  him  to 
Yarkand  ;  but  that  he  had  refused  permission  until 
his  Ilighness's  pleasure  was  known  ! " 

The  Yarkand  envoy  left  Leh  August  28th.  Mr. 
Shaw's  agent,  Diwan  Baksh,  accompanied  him,  bear 
ing  a  letter  and  presents  for  Mohammad  Yakoob,  the 
new  ruler  of  Central  Asia.  It  now  only  remained  to 
make  the  necessary  preparations  for  the  journey,  and 
then  follow,  in  the  expectation  of  receiving  permis 
sion  to  proceed  on  reaching  the  Yarkand  frontier. 
The  chief  difficulty  was  to  procure  means  of  trans 
port  for  the  goods  and  supplies.  The  carrying  trade 
between  Ladak  and  Yarkand  is  in  the  hands  of  a  set 
of  half-breeds,  called  argoons,  who  own  some  miser 
able,  half-starved  ponies,  for  which  they  demand  ex 
orbitant  hire.  The  fact  that  Mr.  Shaw,  as  a  stranger, 
might  be  unfavorably  received  in  Yarkand,  enabled 
these  men  to  practise  all  sorts  of  imposition  upon 
him.  Those  who  had  good  horses,  after  making  him 
agree  to  pay  an  enormous  price  for  them,  would  final 
ly  start  away  without  a  word  of  explanation,  with 
some  other  employer  ;  while  those  who  had  skeletons 
of  horses,  or  no  horses  at  all,  eagerly  entered  into 


JOURNEY  TO  THE  KARAKASH  RIVER     111 

agreements  which  they  were  utterly  unable  to  fulfil. 
The  Yarkand  merchants  always  make  the  journey 
with  their  own  horses,  and  Mr.  Shaw's  better  plan 
would  have  been  to  buy,  had  it  been  possible  at  that 
time  to  obtain  good  animals. 

"  All  these  troubles,"  he  says,  "  I  will  leave  to  the 
imagination,  merely  saying  that  I  did  not  start  from 
Leh  until  September  20th,  being  compelled  to  trust 
the  greater  part  of  the  goods  to  the  tender  mercies 
of  an  argoon  named  i  Momin '  (the  faithful  one), 
who  promised  to  start  after  me  in  eight  or  ten  days, 
when  his  horses  should  be  ready.  The  native  Gov 
ernor  of  Ladak  promised  to  give  the  man  guides  to 
take  him  by  the  new  route  which  I  was  going  to  try. 
The  Governor  also  gave  me  an  order  on  several  vil 
lages  near  the  Pangong  Lake  for  ponies,  which,  ac 
cording  to  the  custom  of  the  country,  the  villagers 
are  bound  to  hire  out  to  travellers  at  fixed  rates. 
This  determination  I  had  come  to  when  I  found  I 
could  not  get  enough  horses  from  the  argoons  to 
carry  both  the  goods  and  also  my  own  camp  and  bag 
gage.  I  thought  I  could  shift  for  myself,  and  secure 
ponies  from  the  villagers  better  than  the  servant  in 
charge  of  the  goods  could  do. 

"  Just  before  starting  a  companion  offered  himself 
for  the  journey.  Mr.  Thorp,  who  had  formerly  been 
in  the  Ninety-eighth  Eegiment,  and  had  recently 
been  travelling  about  in  Thibet,  hearing  that  I  was 
starting  for  Yarkand,  volunteered  to  go  with  me. 
For  the  moment  I  accepted  the  offer,  but  afterward, 
on  consulting  with  friends  who  had  the  best  means 
of  judging,  I  was  advised  that  it  would  be  over-rash 


112  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

to  take  a  companion.  I  had  spoken  to  the  envoy 
only  about  myself  ;  I  had  written  to  the  King  only 
in  my  own  name  ;  and  now,  if  a  second  Englishman 
were  to  appear  with  me  on  the  frontier,  the  suspicion 
of  these  Asiatics  would  be  deeply  aroused.  Mr. 
Thorp,  with  great  good-nature,  gave  in  to  these  rea 
sons,  and  consented  to  abandon  his  intention  of  ac 
companying  me — preferring  to  do  that  rather  than 
risk  the  failure  of  my  expedition. 

"  At  this  time  I  also  heard  a  report  that  another 
Englishman,  of  the  name  of  Hayward,  was  on  his 
way  up  with  the  intention  of  attempting  to  reach 
Yarkand.  I  wrote  him  a  letter  on  the  chance  of  its 
catching  him  in  Cashmere,  urging  the  same  reasons 
against  his  coming  which  had  already  prevailed  with 
Mr.  Thorp." 

The  progress  of  the  expedition  was  at  first  very 
slow.  On  account  of  the  difficulties  of  obtaining 
serviceable  ponies  from  the  country  people,  Mr.  Shaw 
was  six  days  in  reaching  Chagra,  at  the  head  of  Pan- 
gong  Lake.  He  was  obliged  to  use  yaks  as  beasts  of 
burden,  since,  in  addition  to  the  stock  of  goods,  it 
was  necessary  to  carry  flour  and  parched  barley  for 
the  men,  and  barley  for  the  horses,  for  two  months 
in  advance,  and  to  take  along  a  small  flock  of  sheep. 
A  seal  was  placed  upon  the  forelocks  of  all  the  ponies, 
to  prevent  their  being  exchanged  for  worse  animals. 
The  grain  and  flour  were  also  sealed  up  in  sacks,  and 
arrangements  were  made  for  serving  out  on  each  suc 
cessive  Sunday  the  provision  for  the  ensuing  week. 
The  sacks  were  to  be  afterward  carefully  re-sealed 
with  Mr.  Shaw's  own  signet-ring.  This  was  necessary 


JOURNEY  TO  THE  KARAKASE  RIVER     113 

•in  order  to  prevent  pilfering  and  waste,  which  might 
prove  fatal  in  such  a  desert  as  he  was  entering  upon. 

While  halting  at  Chagra,  and  making  final  prep 
arations,  a  message  came  from  the  agent,  Diwan 
Baksh,  instructing  Mr.  Shaw  that  he  ought  to  be  at 
Shahidoolla,  on  the  Yarkand  frontier,  in  one  month 
from  the  time  of  writing. 

"  Leaving  Chagra,  the  last  Thibetan  encampment, 
on  the  29th  of  September,  we  crossed  the  high  but 
very  gradual  and  easy  pass  of  Masimik  on  the  30th, 
and  entered  Chang-chenmo.* 

"  The  character  of  the  Chang-chenmo  Yalley  is  a 
wide,  smooth,  shingly  bed,  amidst  which  the  stream 
meanders  from  side  to  side.  It  is  bordered  by  small 
cliffs  of  clay  or  conglomerate,  sometimes  several  of 
them  in  tiers  one  above  the  other,  divided  by  wide 
terraces,  especially  at  the  embouchures  of  side  streams. 
Above  these  terraces  rise  the  barren  mountain  sides. 
The  soil  is  absolutely  bare." 

While  waiting  for  the  goods  and  ponies  from  Leh, 
on  the  high  plains  of  Chang-chenmo,  Mr.  Shaw  first 
received  a  letter  from  the  other  traveller,  Hay  ward, 
saying  that  he  was  sent  by  the  Geographical  Society, 
and  must  continue  his  journey ;  and,  immediately 
afterward  came  the  announcement  that  Hay  ward 
had  actually  arrived,  and  was  encamped  near  him. 
On  the  14th  of  October  the  two  met.  "  We  dined 
together,"  says  Shaw,  "  and  talked  over  plans.  He 
said  that  the  Geographical  Society  had  commissioned 
him  to  explore  the  route  through  Chitral  (far  away 
to  the  west  on  the  borders  of  Cabul),  and  to  try  and 
*  Chang-chenmo  means  "  Great  Northern  (River)." 


114  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

reach  the  Pamir  Steppes.  The  frontier  war  which 
had  just  broken  out  led  him  to  try  the  more  easterly 
route  through  Ladak,  hoping  to  get  permission  at 
Yarkand  to  visit  the  Pamir  Steppes.  lie  proposed 
going  in  the  character  of  an  Afghan,  having  brought 
a  complete  Afghan  dress,  and  having  discarded  most 
of  the  marks  of  European  nationality,  such  as  tents, 
etc.  After  some  consultation,  and  seeing  that  1  was 
going  in  the  character  of  an  Englishman,  he  deter 
mined  to  do  so  also.  Indeed,  it  would  require  a  most 
perfect  acquaintance  both  with  the  Afghan  language, 
and  also  with  the  Mohammedan  religious  ceremonial 
(an  acquaintance  only  to  be  obtained  by  years  of  ex 
patriation),  to  pass  muster  as  an  Afghan  in  a  bigoted 
Mussulman  country,  which  swarms  with  Afghan  mer 
chants  and  soldiers. 

"  The  question  then  remained  whether  we  should 
go  together  or  not.  On  consideration  it  seemed  bet 
ter  that  I  should  appear  on  the  frontier  first,  and 
alone,  in  accordance  with  the  announcement  which  I 
had  sent  on  before.  For  if,  after  asking  permission 
for  one  Englishman  to  enter,  two  were  suddenly  to 
appear  together,  suspicions  would  be  aroused,  and 
they  would  probably  turn  both  of  us  back.  It  was 
determined,  therefore,  that  I  should  go  on  before, 
trusting  to  the  effect  of  my  presents  and  letter  for 
admission,  while  Ilayward  should  follow  shortly  after 
in  the  hope  that  they  would  not  turn  him  back  after 
admitting  me.  If  I  saw  an  opportunity,  I  was  to  do 
what  I  could  to  obtain  admission  for  him.  This 
seemed  the  best  solution  of  the  difficulty  caused  by 
the  unfortunate  coincidence  of  our  two  attempts. 


JOURNEY  TO   THE  KARAKASII  RIVER     115 

"  Meanwhile,  Hay  ward  determined  to  explore  the 
head  of  the  Chang-chenmo  Valley  for  a  possibly  bet 
ter  route  in  that  direction." 

On  the  16th,  Hayward  started  on  his  way,  and 
Shaw  on  his,  following  the  track  of  the  Yarkand  en 
voy  up  a  long  ravine  to  the  eastward.  After  some 
miles  he  came  to  a  cliff  rising  thirty  feet  perpendicu 
larly  from  the  bed  of  the  stream.  Here  Adolf 
Schlagintweit,  on  his  way  to  Yarkand,  in  1857,  had 
built  a  very  steep  and  sloping  path,  but  there  was 
great  difficulty  in  getting  the  ponies  to  the  top.  The 
same  day  the  expedition  met  some  of  the  envoy's 
men,  returning  with  the  horses  he  had  hired.  They 
gave  Shaw  a  letter,  without  date,  from  his  agent, 
saying  that  he  would  find  somebody  to  receive  him 
at  Shahidoolla  in  a  month  from  date  ! 

The  next  day,  following  the  dry  bed  of  the  stream, 
they  reached  the  summit  of  the  pass.  The  view  to 
the  south,  very  broad  and  stormy,  embraced  ranges 
of  mountains,  streaked  with  glaciers;  to  the  north 
stretched  a  flat  tableland,  scarcely  lower  than  the 
pass  itself,  which  was  about  19,000  feet  above  the 
sea.  "  Tashee  "  (one  of  the  attendants)  and  I  walked 
on  to  keep  ourselves  warm,  but,  halting  at  sunset, 
had  to  sit  and  freeze  for  several  hours  before  the 
things  came  up.  The  best  way  of  keeping  warm  on 
such  an  occasion  is  to  squat  down,  kneeling  against  a 
bank,  resting  your  head  on  the  bank,  and  nearly  be 
tween  your  knees.  Then  tuck  your  overcoat  in  all 
around  you,  over  head  and  all ;  and  if  you  are  lucky, 
and  there  is  not  too  much  wind,  you  will  make  a 
little  atmosphere  of  your  own  inside  the  covering 


116  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

which  will  be  snug  in  comparison  with  the  outside 
air.  Your  feet  suffer  chiefly,  but  you  learn  to  tie 
yourself  into  a  kind  of  knot,  bringing  as  many  sur 
faces  of  your  body  together  as  possible.  I  have 
passed  whole  nights  in  this  kneeling  position  and 
slept  well ;  whereas  I  should  not  have  got  a  wink 
had  I  been  stretched  at  full  length  with  such  a  scanty 
covering  as  a  great-coat.  At  last  the  camp  arrived. 
We  had  brought  a  little  fuel  with  us,  and  melted 
some  ice  for  water.  Ko  grass  at  all  for  the  cattle. 

"  The  next  day  I  breakfasted  as  usual  while  camp 
was  breaking  up.  We  travelled  through  the  high 
downs  till  we  reached  a  little  plain,  bounded  on 
the  farther  side  by  a  sandy  ridge,  and  then  crossed 
this  plain  northward.  My  Mussulman  table-servant, 
Kabeer,  was  here  quite  done  up  with  the  rarity  of 
the  air  at  this  great  elevation,  so  I  gave  him  my 
pony  to  ride.  We  ascended  the  sandy  slope  at  the 
end  (almost  one  hundred  feet  high),  and  then  saw 
another  immense  plain  at  our  feet,  about  four  hun 
dred  feet  lower  than  our  own  level.  This  has  been 
christened  by  the  Thibetans  who  have  crossed  it 
( Lingzeetang.'  To  the  east  and  west  of  it  snowy 
mountains  loomed  in  the  distance,  peering  up  over 
the  edge  of  the  plain  like  ships  at  sea  that  are  hull- 
down.  In  front  of  us  to  the  north,  it  was  bounded 
far  away  by  a  long  sandy  ridge  with  the  tops  of 
smaller  hills  showing  over  it.  Descending  into  this 
plain,  we  encamped  about  five  miles  out  on  it,  under 
the  lee  of  a  small  clayey  rise.  The  soil  is  all  clay, 
covered  with  flinty  stones  and  rough  agates.  Not  a 
vestige  of  grass ;  but  a  little  fuel  in  the  shape  of  the 


JOURNEY  TO   THE  KARAKASH  RIVER     117 

lavender-plant,  as  it  may  be  called.  This  consists  of 
a  little  bunch  of  shoots,  three  or  four  inches  high, 
looking  like  lavender.  These  little  bunches  are  scat 
tered  about  seven  or  eight  yards  apart,  or  more. 
They  have  a  woody  root,  much  more  substantial  than 
might  be  imagined  from  their  insignificant  appear 
ance  above  ground ;  and  these  roots  are  a  perfect 
God-send  to  the  traveller.  His  men  go  out  with  lit 
tle  picks  and  dig  them  up,  but  it  takes  several  hours, 
even  where  they  are  most  plentiful,  before  a  man  can 
collect  enough  to  light  a  fire  with.  The  shoots  are 
sometimes  eaten  by  famishing  horses,  and  to  a  cer 
tain  extent  stay  their  hunger  where  there  is  no  grass, 
as  here.  So  late  in  the  season  there  was  no  water 
anywhere  on  this  plain,  but  we  found  a  few  patches 
of  snow,  and  melted  enough  to  cook  with  and  drink. 
There  was  not,  however,  fuel  enough  to  melt  any  for 
the  horses  to  drink,  and  they  had,  for  many  days,  to 
content  themselves  with  munching  snow  to  allay 
their  thirst. 

"  The  20th  brought  a  lovely  morning  to  cross  the 
plain.  We  marched  straight  for  the  opening  be 
tween  two  hills  which  I  called  the  '  dome  '  and  the 
4  chorten '  (a  common  Thibetan  monument)  from 
their  shapes.  Lots  of  mirage,  but  no  real  signs  of 
water.  After  several  hours  across  the  plain  we  came 
to  the  rising  ground,  about  one  hundred  feet  high. 
Another  flat  on  the  top,  then  a  descent  into  the 
mouths  or  upper  ends  of  a  lot  of  rocky-sided  valleys. 
Took  one  leading  to  the  right  of  the  i  dome,'  and 
camped  about  a  mile  down  it  near  a  rock.  Fear 
fully  cold  wind ;  almost  impossible  to  pitch  the 


118  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

tents ;  a  real  hurricane,  blowing  the  concentrated 
essence  of  east  winds.  Managed  to  get  something  to 
eat  and  get  to  bed.  Third  night  of  no  grass  for  the 
cattle.  We  give  the  ponies  barley,  but  the  yaks  re 
fuse  it." 

The  next  day  the  expedition  reached  Lak-zung,  or 
the  Eagle's  Nest,  a  name  given  to  the  valley  leading 
down  northward  from  the  lofty  plateau  they  had  just 
crossed.  Although  the  elevation  was  still  sixteen 
thousand  feet  above  the  sea,  there  was  a  little  grass 
to  be  had  for  the  famished  animals.  At  this  place 
he  was  detained  four  days,  in  order  to  rest  and  re 
cruit  the  animals.  The  cold  was  intense  and  the 
winds  were  so  fierce  and  keen  that  even  the  natives 
suffered  from  their  exposure.  It  was  impossible  to 
write,  as  the  ink  instantly  froze  in  the  pen. 

On  the  26th  the  expedition  started  again,  and 
after  a  long  day's  march,  over  a  plain  slightly  de 
scending  to  the  northward,  reached  a  small  lake  of 
ice,  at  a  place  called  Tarldatt.  Here  Shaw  was  de 
layed  another  day,  on  account  of  his  Hindu  servant, 
Kabeer,  having  lagged  behind  with  some  of  the  ani 
mals.  Both  yaks  and  ponies  now  began  to  show 
signs  of  giving  out,  and  the  marches  became  very 
short  and  wearisome  to  all.  Beyond  Tarldatt  ex 
tended  the  same  desolate  region,  but  with  patches  of 
grass  in  the  hollows.  The  uplands  were  beds  of  salt 
or  soda.  "  Above  is  a  very  thin  cake  of  earth,  below 
which  the  foot  sinks  into  the  finest  loose  powdered 
soda,  pure  white,  four  or  five  inches  deep.  Below 
this  is  a  sheet  of  impure  common  salt  and  saltpetre, 
which  you  can  hear  crack  like  thin  ice  under  fresh 


JOURNEY  TO   THE  KARAKA8H  RIVER     119 

.snow,  as  you  walk.  In  many  places  the  coat  of  earth 
is  absent,  and  the  soda  is  hard  and  irregular.  It  was 
horrible  walking  for  five  hours  over  it ;  although  we 
saw  our  halting-place  from  the  first,  we  never  seemed 
to  approach  it." 

j  Finally,  on  October  30th,  the  soda  plain  gave 
'  place  to  a  narrow  valley,  bounded  by  a  broken  gran 
ite  ridge  on  its  northeastern  side.  Beyond  this 
ridge  was  the  valley  of  the  Karakash,  one  of  the  six 
rivers  of  Central  Asia.  It  flows  past  the  walls  of 
Khoten,  and  finally  loses  itself  in  the  sands  of  the 
great  Desert  of  Lob.  Over  the  hills  beyond  the 
river  rose  the  high,  snowy  peaks  of  the  range  now 
called  Kiien-Lun  by  European  geographers,  which 
was  first  crossed  by  the  brothers  Hermann  and  Rob 
ert  Schlagintweit. 

By  this  time  several  of  the  yaks  had  been  left  be 
hind,  but  most  fortunately,  two  which  had  been 
abandoned  by  the  Yarkand  envoy's  party,  and  had 
entirely  recruited  themselves  on  the  meadows  of  the 
Karakash,  were  caught  and  made  to  do  service. 
The  cattle  all  drank  of  the  river,  breaking  the  slushy 
ice  with  their  feet.  This  was  their  first  drink  of 
water  in  fifteen  days ;  since  leaving  the  Chang- 
chenmo  they  had  quenched  their  thirst  with  snow. 
"  Beyond  the  point  we  had  now  reached,  none  of 
my  men  had  gone.  We  were  thus  quite  ignorant 
where  we  should  find  grass  or  wood,  or  how  long  to 
make  our  marches.  I  had  to  feel  the  way  by  riding 
on  ahead  of  the  caravan,  and  toward  evening  sur 
veying  the  route  before  us  from  some  high  point. 
Anxiously  I  looked  forward  as  each  new  vista  opened 


120  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

out ;  every  side-valley  I  examined  with  care.  Imag 
ine  my  horror,  as  the  afternoon  advanced,  to  find  that 
this  sterile  soil  did  not  supply  even  the  lavender- 
plant  for  fuel,  which  had  not  hitherto  failed  us. 
Grass  I  entirely  despaired  of  finding,  and  the  bed  of 
the  stream  was  dry  !  The  three  great  requisites  for 
a  traveller's  camping-ground  were  all  absent  —  fuel, 
grass,  and  water  !  Evening  was  beginning  to  close 
when  I  reached  a  high  bed  of  shingle  and  debris 
which  issued  from  a  ravine  on  the  north,  and  closed 
the  view  down  the  main  valley.  I  mounted  this  to 
get  a  view,  and  at  the  lower  end  of  a  small  plain  I 
distinguished  a  dark  strip  of  ground.  Hope  began  to 
revive,  but  I  could  hardly  believe  that  I  saw  bushes  ! 
However,  my  glass  showed  them  distinctly,  and,  what 
was  more,  there  was  a  glimmer  of  white  ice  visible 
among  them.  I  pushed  on,  and  after  a  seemingly 
interminable  stretch  of  level  in  the  valley  I  reached 
the  first  bushes  that  I  had  seen  for  a  month.  We 
found  that  the  ice  I  had  seen  was  on  the  banks  of  a 
stream  of  water,*  which  came  in  through  a  narrow 
gorge  from  the  left  or  south  side  of  the  valley,  and 
filled  the  hitherto  dry  bed  of  the  main  valley." 

The  next  day  the  temperature  rose  to  40°,  and  the 
Karakash  flowed  freely  between  borders  of  ice.  The 
blood  of  man  and  beast,  which  had  almost  congealed 
in  the  icy  winds  of  the  terrible  heights,  began  to  thaw 

*  Mr.  Hayward  afterward  struck  the  head  of  the  stream  about 
eighty  miles  up,  and  followed  it  down  to  this  spot.  He  proved  it 
to  be  the  real  head  of  the  Karakash  River,  and  that  it  offers  a 
better  route  than  that  which  I  had  taken  across  the  high  plains. 
— Shaw. 


JOURNEY  TO   THE  KARAKASH  RIVER     121 

-again ;  brushwood  for  fuel  continued  abundant,  and 
jn-ass  increased  until  it  became  a  thick  turf.  For  five 

O 

or  six  days  more  they  followed  the  valley,  until  a 
break  in  the  mountain-range  to  the  northward  (a  spur 
of  the  Kiien-Liin)  announced  the  point  where  the 
Karakash  turns  eastward  and  descends  to  the  warm 
plains  of  Khoten.  Every  day  some  of  the  yaks  left 
by  the  envoy's  party  were  picked  up,  until  there 
were  nine  fresh  animals  to  replace  those  which  had 
fallen  by  the  way.  The  physical  difficulties  in  the 
way  of  the  expedition  were  now  over,  but  the  more 
serious  moral  obstacles  were  yet  to  be  overcome. 


CHAPTER  XL 

DETENTION  AT  THE  FRONTIER 

SHAW'S  account  of  his  arrival   at  the  frontier  of 
the  Yarkand  country,  and  his  reception  there,  is 
so  animated  and  picturesque  that  it  must  be  given  in 
his  own  words,  written  on  the  spot : 

"  I  am  now  writing  in  my  tent,  which  is  pitched 
on  the  flat  roof  of  a  little  fort  on  the  Karakash  River. 
It  consists  of  a  lot  of  little  rooms,  surrounding  a 
court-yard,  into  which  they  open.  A  little  parapet 
of  sun-dried  bricks  with  loopholes  for  muskets  runs 
round  the  outer  edge  of  this  flat  roof,  while  at  the 
corners  little  round  towers,  also  loopholed,  command 
the  four  sides.  This  primitive  fort  stands  in  the 
centre  of  a  little  shingly  plain.  The  Karakash,  a 
small  trout-stream,  runs  past  a  few  hundred  yards 
off,  fringed  with  low  bushes,  while  all  around  rise 
the  barren  rocky  mountains.  Inside  is  a  more  cheer 
ful  scene.  A  group  of  Moghul  *  soldiers  are  sitting 
round  a  fire  at  one  end  of  the  court-yard,  which  is 
not  above  fifteen  yards  long.  Their  long  matchlock 
guns  hang  from  the  wall  behind  them,  twelve  in 
number ;  three  or  four  high-peaked  saddles  are  ranged 

*  Moghul  is  the  name  given  in  India  to  natives  of  Central  Asia. 
I  learnt  afterward  to  call  them,  as  they  called  themselves, 
"Toork." 


DETENTION  AT  THE  FRONTIER  123 

above  them.  The  dress  of  the  Moghuls  consists  of  a 
long  robe  fastened  round  the  waist,  with  very  wide 
trousers  below.  The  officers'  robes  are  made  of  a 
stuff  half  silk,  half  cotton,  with  large  patterns  in  very 
bright  colors.  Some  of  the  men  wear  dull-red 
Yarkandee  cloth,  some  of  them  English  printed 
calico,  and  some  white  felt ;  there  is  no  uniformity. 
Some  tuck  the  long  robe  into  the  wide  trousers, 
some  wear  a  second  robe,  open  in  front  and  loose  at 
the  waist,  over  all.  The  chiefs  have  on  their  heads 
a  conical  cap,  with  a  turban  tied  round  it.  The  men 
mostly  have  lambskin  caps.  One  of  the  two  officers 
is  now  fitting  a  fresh  match  into  his  gun  ;  the  rest 
are  looking  on,  or  cooking  their  food  in  one  of  the 
rooms.  Meanwhile  they  talk  a  language  harsh  and 
guttural,  in  which  the  consonants  are  constantly 
clashing.  My  i  Bhots '  from  Ladak  sit  reverentially 
in  the  distance,  rubbing  the  skins  of  the  sheep  we 
have  killed  by  the  way.  The  Moghuls  treat  them 
kindly,  but  as  if  they  were  animals  of  some  sort, 
monkeys  for  instance.  They  call  them  'TibeteeJ  a 
name  which  I  have  hitherto  heard  used  only  by  the 
Europeans.  My  Indian  servants  keep  out  of  the  way  ; 
they  don't  know  what  to  make  of  our  hosts,  and  are 
more  than  half  afraid  of  them.  As  for  me,  they  and 
I  are  the  greatest  of  friends.  In  a  short  time,  I  shall 
be  going  down  to  entertain  the  officers  at  my  four 
o'clock  tea.  We  sit  over  my  fire,  and  drink  an  end 
less  succession  of  cups  of  tea  together,  eating  my  bis 
cuits  and  trying  to  converse. 

"  As   day  dawns,  I  hear  one  of  them  intoning  the 
'  Arise  and  pray,  arise  and  pray,  prayer  is  better  than 


124  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

sleep.'  Yesterday  two  of  the  soldiers  had  their 
hands  tied  in  front  of  them,  their  clothes  were 
stripped  from  their  shoulders,  and  they  were  fero 
ciously  lashed  by  one  of  the  officers  with  his  whip, 
till  they  were  covered  with  blood.  My  servants,  who 
saw  this,  asked  the  reason  ;  they  were  told  it  was  be 
cause  the  men  did  not  get  up  early  to  say  their 
prayers.  The  same  evening  one  of  these  two  men 
was  singing  Toorkee  songs,  to  which  accompaniment 
two  others  were  dancing  before  the  fire.  I  joined 
the  party,  and  was  fed  with  Yarkand  walnuts  by  one 
of  the  officers.  The  two  dancers  wound  in  and  out, 
keeping  time  with  a  beat  of  the  feet  and  a  ehasse, 
and  slowly  waving  their  arms.  When  tired,  they 
bowed  to  the  assembly  and  sat  down. 

"  Meanwhile,  you  don't  know  whether  I  have 
been  taken  prisoner  in  a  foray  by  Yakoob  Beg's 
soldiers,  or  how  I  came  to  find  myself  shut  up  in  a 
fort  with  a  dozen  of  them ;  so  I  must  begin  again 
from  where  I  left  off. 

"  After  a  wearisome  march  of  six  days,  altogether, 
down  the  same  valley,  without  any  incidents  worth 
notice,  on  the  morning  of  the  sixth  day,  shortly  after 
leaving  our  camp  (which  was  in  a  fine  meadow  of 
really  luxuriant  grass,  produced  by  the  numerous 
arms  into  which  the  stream  branched),  we  came 
upon  a  spot  where  a  large  flock  of  sheep  had  evi 
dently  been  penned.  This  sign  of  the  former  pres 
ence  of  men  put  us  all  on  the  qui  vive,  as  we  were 
utterly  ignorant  what  reception  we  might  meet  with 
should  we  come  across  any  of  the  wandering  tribes 
of  shepherds  that  frequent  these  mountains.  All  we 


KIRGHIZ    MAN. 


DETENTION  AT  THE  FRONTIER  125 

knew  was  that  certain  nomads,  calling  themselves 
Kirghiz,  had  formerly  rendered  the  more  westerly 
road  to  Yarkand  unsafe  by  their  depredations  (the 
name  of  Kirghiz  Jungle  is  still  retained  by  the  spot 
which  they  haunted),  and  that  tribes  of  the  same 
name  occasionally  brought  their  sheep  up  the  valley 
of  the  Karakash.  However,  the  sheepfold  was  of 
last  year,  and  did  not  denote  any  recent  visit.  But 
later  in  the  day,  as  I  rode  on  before  the  caravan,  the 
fresh  print  of  a  man's  foot  struck  my  eye.  It  was 
on  a  soft  piece  of  earth,  after  which  the  path  was 
hard  and  stony.  I  was  thus  unable  at  once  to  verify 
my  impression,  and  thought  I  must  have  been  de 
ceived.  A  little  further  on,  however,  the  footmark 
was  again  visible  by  the  side  of  a  horse's  track.  I 
could  not  help  laughing  as  I  thought  of  Robinson 
Crusoe  and  his  footprint.  When  we  came  to  the 
end  of  the  open  plain  in  which  we  were  travelling, 
and  the  valley  narrowed  at  a  projecting  point,  I 
halted  the  caravan,  and  went  on  myself  on  foot  to 
spy.  Scrambling  over  the  hill,  I  soon  came  to  a 
ridge  which  commanded  a  view  down  the  valley. 
Carefully,  as  when  stalking  game,  I  raised  my  head, 
and  a  minute's  inspection  through  my  glass  showed 
me  a  grassy  plain,  sprinkled  with  bushes,  and  in  the 
middle  a  Kirghiz  £  yourt.'  There  was  no  mistak 
ing  it  after  reading  Atkinson's  books.  A  circular 
structure,  with  a  low  dome  -  shaped  roof,  covered 
with  a  dirty-white  material,  evidently  felt.  Around 
it  were  tethered  four  or  five  horses  and  yaks,  while 
the  glass  showed  a  man  in  a  long  tunic  and  high 
boots,  busied  in  attendance  on  the  cattle.  From 


126  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

the  centre  of  the  roof  a  light  cloud  of  smoke  was 
escaping. 

"  I  can't  describe  to  you  my  sensations  at  behold 
ing  this  novel  scene.  I  felt  that  I  had  now  indeed 
begun  my  travels.  Now,  at  length,  my  dreams  of 
Toorks  and  Kirghiz  were  realized,  and  I  was  coming 
into  contact  witli  tribes  and  nations  hitherto  entirely 
cut  off  from  intercourse  with  Europeans.  I  drew 
carefully  back  and  rejoined  my  caravan.  After  a 
short  consultation,  we  determined  to  go  and  encamp 
alongside  of  the  yourt ;  as  we  must  pass  the  Kirghiz, 
and  our  halting  short  of  them,  though  so  near,  wrould 
be  ascribed  to  fear  if  they  discovered  our  camp. 
Loading  all  the  rifles,  four  in  number,  we  set  out 
again.  I  was  amused  to  see  my  Hindostanee  table- 
servant  Kabeer,  who  had  hitherto  caused  endless 
trouble  by  lagging  behind,  now,  with  scared  face, 
keep  himself  close  to  my  horse's  tail,  as  I  rode  on  in 
advance  of  the  caravan.  The  Kirghiz  was  so  busy 
at  his  occupation  that  he  did  not  see  me  till  I  was 
within  twenty  yards  of  his  yourt.  At  the  sound  of 
my  voice,  he  turned  round  and,  apparently  without 
astonishment,  came  forward  smilingly  to  meet  me. 
A  second  man  now  came  out  of  the  yourt.  We 
could  only  at  first  say  '  salaam,'  and  smile  at  one  an 
other  ;  but  he  told  me  that  he  was  a  Kirghiz,  and  we 
thought  we  understood  from  him  that  there  were 
some  soldiers  of  the  King  waiting  for  me  at  Shahi- 
doolla.  This  would  account  for  his  non-surprise  at 
what  must  have  been  our  strange  appearance  to  him. 
Both  the  Kirghiz  were  quite  young  fellows,  appa 
rently  brothers,  with  fine  rosy  complexions,  about  as 


DETENTION  AT  THE  FRONTIER  127 

dark  as  a  bronzed  Englishman,  A  woman  presently 
appeared,  but  kept  in  the  background.  She  was 
rather  pretty,  and  wore  a  strip  of  white  cotton  cloth 
wound  round  her  head,  quite  evenly,  to  a  consider 
able  thickness,  likie  a  roll  of  white  tape.  A  long 
streamer  of  the  same  cloth,  ornamented  with  a 
colored  pattern,  hung  down  her  back.  Her  dress 
was  a  long  tunic,  girt  round  the  waist  like  the  men's 
and  reaching  nearly  to  the  ankles,  which  displayed  a 
pair  of  high  red  leather  boots.  The  men's  tunics  or 
robes  were  shorter,  and  their  head-dress  a  fur  cap 
with  ear-lappets. 

"  Here  I  encamped  ;  the  Kirghiz  good-humoredly 
assisting  in  the  erection  of  the  tent,  lighting  a  fire  for 
me,  etc.  Presently  arrived  a  large  flock  of  sheep, 
with  another  Kirghiz,  in  a  long  sheep  and  ibex  skin 
robe.  My  Guddee  servants,  themselves  shepherds  by 
birth,  estimated  the  flock  at  over  a  thousand.  The 
sheep  resemble  those  of  parts  of  Afghanistan,  hav 
ing  large  flat  tails.  When  the  lambs  had  been 
brought  out,  and  given  to  their  mothers,  the  three 
Kirghiz  retired  into  the  yourt.  Thence  they  emerged 
again  and  came  up  to  me,  bringing  a  present  of  a 
sheep  and  a  huge  skinful  of  butter.  These  were 
most  thankfully  accepted,  and  the  sheep  immediately 
killed  ;  the  butter  was  excellent.  I  gave  them,  in 
return,  some  English  powder,  with  a  looking-glass  for 
the  young  lady,  at  which  they  were  delighted. 

"  The  next  morning,  very  early,  I  sent  off  two  of 
my  Ladakmen  down  the  valley  to  Shahidoolla,  which 
the  Kirghiz  said  was  near.  Shahidoolla  is  the  place 
where  I  had  appointed  that  a  messenger  should  meet 


128  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

me  with  a  letter  from  Diwan  Bakhsh  (the  Mussul 
man  whom  I  had  sent  on  before  me  to  ask  permis 
sion  of  the  King  for  me  to  enter  his  country).  There 
is  no  village ;  it  is  merely  a  camping-ground  on  the 
regular  old  route  between  Ladak  and  Yarkand,  and 
the  first  place  where  I  should  strike  that  route. 

"  While  I  was  at  breakfast,  arrived  two  Moghul 
soldiers  from  Shahidoolla.  We  could  not  converse, 
but  I  looked  at  their  guns,  and  gave  them  some  tea ; 
after  this  they  departed.  In  the  afternoon  three 
other  Moghul  horsemen  arrived,  dressed  in  finer 
clothes,  consisting  of  long  robes  of  bright  colors,  one 
above  the  other,  wide  trousers,  and  turbans  tied  over 
pointed  silk  caps.  I  made  them  sit  down,  and  gave 
them  tea  (an  unfailing  part  of  the  ceremony).  The 
Kirghiz  (with  whom  our  acquaintance  was  but  a  few 
hours  older)  acted  as  interpreters,  by  signs  and  by 
means  of  a  few  words  of  Toorkee  which  I  had  picked 
up  from  them.  They  made  me  exhibit  all  my  curi 
osities,  the  breech-loading  rifles,  the  revolver,  the 
spy-glass,  the  watch,  etc.,  etc.  When  these  prodigies 
had  been  duly  wondered  at,  they  explained  to  me 
that  one  of  the  three  was  going  to  ride  off  immedi 
ately  to  Yarkand  to  announce  my  arrival  to  the 
King,  and  that  I  must  give  him  a  token  of  some 
kind,  or  a  letter.  Accordingly  I  wrote  a  short  note 
to  his  Majesty  in  English  (distrusting  my  Persian 
writing),  and,  having  put  it  in  a  pink  envelope, 
sealed  with  my  ring  (bearing  my  full  name  in  Per 
sian  characters),  delivered  it  to  the  messenger.  Im 
mediately  all  three  mounted  and  started  off  at  a  gal 
lop,  bearing  my  best  wishes  for  their  speedy  journey. 


DETENTION  AT  THE  FRONTIER  129 

"  At  Shahidoolla  we  were  most  civilly  treated,  the 
best  rooms  in  the  fort  given  up  to  us  (you  must  re 
member  the  fort  much  resembles  an  English  pig-stye, 
and  not  picture  to  yourself  apartments  of  Oriental 
luxury).  1  was  told  that  they  had  been  stationed 
here  by  the  King  nearly  a  month  ago,  to  await  my 
arrival,  with  orders  to  treat  me  as  an  honored  guest, 
and  see  that  I  wanted  for  nothing.  Before  proceed 
ing  further,  however,  I  must  await  the  orders  of  the 
King  in  answer  to  the  news  of  my  actual  arrival. 
The  messenger,  they  said,  would  reach  Yarkand  on 
relays  of  horses  in  three  days,  and  return  in  the  same 
time,  so  that  I  should  be  detained  about  a  week.  I 
resigned  myself  to  this  fate,  and  during  the  next 
day  or  two  tried  to  improve  the  occasion  by  learning 
a  lot  of  Toorkee  words.  It  was  really  rather  amus 
ing  to  work  out  the  meaning  of  words,  and  build 
quite  a  vocabulary  out  of  a  most  slender  beginning. 
Men  and  officers  all  joined  in  explaining  their  mean 
ing,  and  guessing  at  mine ;  they  showed  considerable 
.cleverness  in  this,  and  I  progressed  rapidly. 

"  By  Thursday,  however,  I  began  to  get  very  tired 
of  my  detention,  and  proposed  a  wild-yak  hunt.  I 
understood  that  these  animals  were  to  be  found 
within  a  day's  march  of  Shahidoolla.  Allowing  a 
day  for  hunting,  we  should  be  back  just  in  time  for 
the  return  of  the  messenger.  Next  morning  the  two 
officers  and  three  or  four  men  and  I  started  to  ride 
up  one  of  the  side  valleys.  We  ate  our  mid-day 
meal  together  (consisting  of  Yarkandee  biscuits),  and 
were  so  fortunate  as  to  espy  a  herd  of  sixteen  wild 
cattle  shortly  after  noon.  Leaving  our  horses  at  the 


130  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

proposed  camping-ground,  we  started  to  stalk  our 
game.  But  a  horseman  was  seen  galloping  toward 
us;  the  glass  showed  that  he  was  a  Moglinl,  and  as 
lie  approached,  he  shouted  to  us  to  come  back.  When 
he  reached  us  he  announced  that  some  great  man 
from  Yarkand  had  arrived  to  fetch  me  ;  that  he  had 
turned  back  the  cattle,  carrying  my  tent,  etc.,  and  we 
must  return  at  once. 

"Delighted  at  the  news,  I  mounted,  and  away  we 
galloped  down  the  valley,  reaching  Shahidoolla  in 
less  than  half  the  time  we  had  taken  coming.  At 
the  gate  a  soldier  in  fine  clothes  was  mounting  guard 
(a  thing  the}7  had  riot  done  before,  nor,  in  fact,  did 
they  do  it  afterward).  When  I  entered  the  court 
yard,  a  dignified  Moghul,  in  a  long  silken  robe,  and 
wearing  a  silver-mounted  sabre,  was  sitting  in  soli 
tary  grandeur  on  a  carpet  before  the  fire,  lie  did 
not  rise  at  my  approach,  but  motioned  to  me  to  sit 
down  by  his  side.  This  I  did,  and  tried  to  address 
him  in  Persian.  lie  shook  his  head,  and  after  this 
seemed  to  pay  no  further  attention  to  me,  talking 
loudly  with  the  others,  who  were  now  allowed  to  sit 
down  on  the  other  side  of  the  fire. 

"  My  first  friends  saw  that  I  was  displeased,  and, 
after  a  whispered  consultation,  one  of  them  came 
and  sat  down  by  my  fire  to  explain  matters.  This 
officer,  he  said,  was  a  very  great  man,  who  always 
sat  before  the  King.  He  had  been  sent  to  meet  us  in 
the  capacity  of  Mihmandar  (or  welcomer  of  guests), 
to  show  me  honor,  and  supply  all  my  wants.  Pres 
ently  we  discovered  that  an  old  man  who  had  come 
with  the  Mihmandar  from  Sanjoo  (a  frontier  town), 


DETENTION  AT  THE  FRONTIER  131 

had  some  knowledge  of  Thibetan.  Conversation  im 
mediately  became  easy,  for  I  had  with  me  a  Thibetan 
interpreter  named  Tashee,  a  most  useful  fellow. 
The  great  man  sent  to  say  that  he  wished  to  pay  me 
a  visit  in  private,  if  I  would  spread  a  carpet  in  my 
room.  The  carpet  was  accordingly  spread  and  a 
candle  lit,  and  in  came  the  Mihmandar.  At  this 
visit,  and  at  a  still  more  formal  one  which  he  paid 
me  the  next  morning  after  breakfast,  he  loaded  me 
with  civilities  of  an  Eastern  sort,  presenting  me  with 
about  a  dozen  trays  of  fruits  of  different  kinds  (pome 
granates,  dried  raisins,  i  pistachio '  nuts,  etc.),  to 
gether  with  a  loaf  of  Russian  sugar,  while  a  couple 
of  sheep,  after  much  pushing  and  shoving,  were 
made  to  show  their  faces  at  the  door.  Many  com 
plimentary  speeches  followed  in  the  name  of  his 
King.  I  was  to  have  no  trouble  or  care  ;  whatever 
I  wished  for,  I  had  only  to  mention  ;  he  would  pro 
cure  anything  I  desired.  All  his  men  and  horses 
were  at  my  disposal.  I  replied  that  my  chief  feeling 
was  gratitude  at  the  condescension  of  the  King  in 
sending  such  a  very  great  man  to  meet  me ;  and  my 
chief  care  was  at  the  inconvenience  which  he  was 
suffering  in  coming  to  such  a  desolate  spot.  Com 
pliments,  I  believe,  can  never  be  too  fulsome  for 
Orientals ;  they  require  them  strong  and  highly  fla 
vored. 

"  Then  followed  a  series  of  questions  as  to  my 
profession,  whether  I  was  a  soldier  or  a  merchant, 
the  number  of  horseloads  of  goods  that  were  follow 
ing  me,  when  they  would  arrive,  how  many  loads  I 
had  with  me,  what  they  could  consist  of,  as  they 


132  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

were  not  merchandise,  etc.,  etc.  Every  now  and 
then  the  series  of  questions  was  broken  to  assure  me 
that,  in  any  case,  I  need  be  under  no  apprehensions, 
for  the  King's  orders  were  to  welcome  me,  whoever 
1  might  be.  I  thought  to  myself,  you  must  be  very 
guileless  yourselves  to  imagine  that  I  could  be  caught 
in  such  a  trap.  If  I  were  assuming  a  false  character, 
it  is  not  likely  that  such  assurances,  coupled  with 
such  anxious  questioning,  would  induce  me  to  reveal 
myself  without  disguise.  As,  however,  I  had  noth 
ing  to  conceal,  my  only  fear  was  lest  my  servants, 
with  Indian  abhorrence  of  truth,  should  tell  unnec 
essary  lies  in  my  absence  ;  for  I  felt  sure  they  would 
be  carefully  cross-examined.  When,  therefore,  the 
great  man  had  taken  his  leave  (this  time  he  politely 
motioned  to  me  not  to  rise  from  my  seat),  I  called 
them  all  together,  and  pointed  out  to  them  that  we 
were  all  in  the  same  boat,  to  sink  or  to  swim,  and 
that  our  success  and  safety  depended  greatly  on  our 
present  conduct.  I  therefore  cautioned  them  against 
talking  more  than  they  could  help  about  our  own  af 
fairs  ;  but  what  they  did  say  must  be  the  exact 
truth.  Thus  only  could  we  be  sure  of  all  telling  the 
same  story  when  separately  questioned,  and  of  not 
being  caught  giving  different  versions.  Of  my  Gud- 
dees  I  have  not  much  fear,  but  the  others  are  by 
birth  and  education  liars.  When  doubtful  of  the 
intentions  of  a  questioner,  or  afraid  of  vague  ill-con 
sequences,  they  naturally  seek  for  safety  in  untruth, 
as  a  wild  beast  does  in  darkness.  It  is  a  simple  and 
artless  precaution,  singularly  inappropriate  in  our 
present  circumstances.  The  Moghuls  are  devoured 


DETENTION  AT  THE  FRONTIER  133 

with  suspicion.  The  unheard-of  event  of  an  Eng 
lishman  arriving  on  their  borders  seems  to  have  put 
them  out  of  all  their  calculations.  Not  a  day  passes 
but  one  or  more  horsemen  arrive  and  depart  with 
orders  or  messages.  Never  has  this  road  been  so 
much  trodden,  never  has  Shahidoolla  witnessed  such 
animation." 

On  November  17th,  the  messenger  who  had  been 
sent  on  to  Yarkand  to  announce  Shaw's  arrival  at 
Shahidoolla,  returned.  He  was  accompanied  by  one 
of  the  caravan-men,  named  Jooma,  who  had  been 
sent  with  Diwan  Baksh,  Shaw's  agent,  to  prepare 
for  his  coming.  As  this  man  Jooma  spoke  Iliii- 
dostanee,  Shaw  learned  immediately  that  the  pink 
English  letter  he  had  sent  to  the  King,  on  reaching 
the  frontier,  had  been  forwarded  from  Yarkand  to 
His  Majesty,  who  was  then  in  the  mountains,  four 
days'  march  beyond  Kashgar.  The  messenger  who 
carried  the  letter  had  not  waited  for  a  reply,  but  had 
immediately  returned  from  Yarkand,  bringing  large 
supplies  of  flour,  barley,  and  other  articles.  The 
answer  of  the  King  would  be  forwarded  by  a  mes 
senger  travelling  day  and  night,  as  soon  as  it  reached 
Yarkand,  and  might  be  expected  at  Shahidoolla  in 
two  or  three  days  more.  Shaw  also  received  a  long 
letter  from  his  agent,  and  a  short  note  from  the  en 
voy  whom  the  former  accompanied,  but,  as  they 
were  written  in  a  close  Persian  running-hand,  he  was 
unable  to  read  them.  Nevertheless,  his  mind  was 
easy  ;  for  there  was  no  private  signal  of  danger, 
which  he  had  instructed  his  agent  to  give,  by  cutting 
off  one  of  the  corners  of  the  letter. 


134  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

The  man  Jooma  reported  that  he  had  overheard  a 
conversation  of  some  of  the  native  officials  at  Yar- 
kand,  in  which  they  agreed  that  Shaw  would  proba 
bly  be  allowed  to  visit  the  King,  Mohammad  Ya- 
koob,  but  that  he  would  be  made  to  wait  at  the 
frontier  some  time  before  receiving  permission  to 
proceed.  Shaw  thereupon  decided  to  wait  two  or 
three  days  longer,  and  then,  if  no  permission  came, 
to  send  off  another  messenger  to  the  King.  The 
approach  of  Hayward,  which  was  already  reported 
to  the  native  authorities,  gave  him  great  uneasiness, 
as  the  appearance  of  another  Englishman  at  this 
critical  stage  of  the  negotiations  might  easily  arouse 
their  suspicions.  On  the  18th  Shaw  writes  : 

"  Toward  evening  the  Mihmandar  came  and  sat 
down  by  my  fire.  After  other  conversation,  1  intro 
duced  the  subject  of  my  business  with  the  King ; 
for  on  reflection  it  struck  me  that,  if  I  waited  till 
orders  came  for  me  to  stay  at  Shahidoolla  before  I 
announced  this,  it  would  be  thought  that  my  object 
was  thereby  to  escape  from  detention  on  the  fron 
tier.  As  soon  as  the  Mihmandar  understood  what 
I  said,  he  at  once  promised  to  send  off  a  man  in  the 
morning,  who  should  go  direct  to  the  King  with  the 
news.  I  trust  that  I  have  been  wise  in  taking  this 
step. 

"  I  had  further  conversations  with  Jooma.  To 
day,  at  his  suggestion,  I  have  assumed  the  full  Mo- 
ghul  dress — high  black  riding-boots,  an  inner  tunic  of 
cotton-silk  (given  me  by  the  Afghan  tea-merchants 
at  Ladak),  a  long  scarf  round  the  waist ;  over  this  I 
wear  a  light-brown  cloth  robe,  open  and  loose,  while 


DETENTION  AT  THE  FRONTIER  135 

one  of  the  red  Cashmere  shawls  comes  in  splendidly 
"for  a  turban.  I  flatter  myself  that  I  look  like  a  dig 
nified  Toork  ;  my  appearance  produces  an  evident 
effect  on  the  Mihmandar ;  he  is  several  pegs  hum 
bler  in  manner  to-day. 

"  Jooma  says  the  King  is  in  the  habit  of  going 
about  quite  alone,  d  la  Haroon-al-Hasheed.  He  has 
several  times  been  taken  up  as  a  vagabond  by  his 
own  police.  On  these  occasions,  he  tries  the  probity 
of  his  capturer  by  offering  a  bribe  for  release. 
Those  who  accept  the  bribe  are  seized  and  brought 
before  him  next  morning,  when  the  least  punishment 
they  suffer  is  a  severe  scourging.  On  the  contrary, 
those  who  have  resisted  the  temptation  are  honored 
and  promoted." 

The  very  next  day  news  came  that  Hayward's 
approach  had  been  announced,  and  that  he  had  de 
clared  himself  to  be  engaged  in  Shaw's  service. 
The  Mihmandar,  whose  suspicions  were  immediately 
aroused,  was  about  to  send  off  an  officer  to  recall  the 
messenger  whom  he  had  despatched  the  day  before  ; 
but  the  man  Jooma  declared  that  Shaw  had  nothing 
whatever  to  do  with  the  other  Englishman,  beyond 
meeting  him  on  a  shooting  excursion.  Afterward 
the  Mihmandar  went  to  Shaw's  tent,  whereupon  the 
latter  made  the  same  statement  to  him,  and  he  ap 
peared  to  be  satisfied.  The  same  afternoon  eight 
horse-loads  of  provisions  arrived  from  Yarkand, 
with  fifteen  sheep. 

Two  days  after  this  Ilayward  arrived,  and  the 
Mihmandar,  whose  business  was  to  visit  and  question 
him,  came  to  Shaw  to  procure  an  interpreter.  Shaw 


136  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

gave  him  the  man  Jooma,  upon  whose  tact  and  fidel 
ity  he  believed  he  could  rely,  and  the  result  proved 
the  wisdom  of  his  choice.  The  same  evening  the 
latter  sent  a  note  to  Ilayward  privately  through 
Jooma,  explaining  his  situation,  and  urging  him  to 
give  up  the  design  of  going  on  to  Yarkand.  The 
predicament  was  very  embarrassing ;  but  Shaw 
clearly  had  the  start  of  Ilayward  in  all  the  arrange 
ments  which  he  had  made  in  advance,  and  could  not 
allow  his  dearly-bought  chances  to  be  imperilled. 

On  the  21st  good  news  arrived.  The  last  messen 
ger  sent  toward  Yarkand  returned,  bringing  a  letter 
from  the  King,  which  he  met  at  the  foot  of  the  San- 
joo  Pass.  It  directed  the  Mihmandar  to  pay  every 
attention  to  Shaw,  as  he  valued  his  head,  until  the 
arrival  of  the  brother  of  the  Governor  of  Yarkand, 
who  was  coming  to  escort  the  traveller  into  the  coun- 
try. 

By  November  24th  Shaw  began  to  be  exceedingly 
weary  of  waiting.  In  his  journal  of  that  day  he 
says  :  "  I  called  in  the  Mihmandar,  and  said  I  could 
not  stand  it  any  longer,  but  should  go  off  shooting, 
or  else  march  down  to  the  nearest  Kirghiz  encamp 
ment.  He  tried  to  pacify  me,  and  finally  agreed 
that,  if  no  news  of  the  Governor's  brother  arrived 
during  the  next  two  days,  we  would  begin  marching 
northward  on  the  third.  lie  came  back  again  shortly, 
with  a  peace-offering  of  fruit.  While  we  were  dis 
cussing  it,  an  arrival  was  announced,  lie  rushed  out, 
and  presently  came  back  again  crying,  'Moobarak! 
Moorbarak  ! '  '  Good  news  has  come  !  You  are  to 
start  to-morrow  to  meet  the  great  Mihmandar,  who 


DETENTION  AT  THE  FRONTIER  137 

has  brought  his  camp  as  far  as  the  Sanjoo  Pass  ! '  * 
Immediately  all  was  bustle  and  preparation.  All  the 
servants  are  as  pleased  as  myself  at  leaving  this  dull 
spot,  and  starting  again  for  the  goal  of  our  journey." 

*  "  The  letter  which  Jooma  brought  from  my  secretary  is  dated 
November  9th.  The  first  news  of  my  approach  had  reached 
Yarkand  two  days  before,  and  my  first  Mihmander  was  sent  off 
at  once.  Jooma  started  on  the  9th.  Thus  news  of  my  approach 
reached  Yarkand  on  the  7th.  If  it  was  not  a  mere  f  oundationless 
report,  they  must  have  had  spies  out  as  far  as  the  head  of  the  Kara- 
kash,  or  farther ;  for  I  myself  did  not  reach  the  Kirghiz  camp 
till  the  7th,  the  very  day  that  news  of  me  reached  Yarkand. 

"I  afterward  ascertained  the  following  facts.  When  the  first 
hint  of  my  intention  of  coming  reached  Yarkand,  a  party  of 
soldiers  was  sent  to  Shahidoolla  to  stop  me.  When  I  got  nearer, 
the  Mihrnandar  was  sent  for  the  same  purpose,  although  he 
amused  me  with  promises  of  being  allowed  to  proceed.  Thirdly, 
Jooma  was  sent  with  a  lot  of  provisions  and  the  secretary's  letter 
(in  which,  as  it  appeared  afterward,  I  was  told  to  go  back  to 
Ladak).  Jooma  was  to  conduct  me  back,  and  the  provisions  were 
sent,  lest  I  should  make  the  want  of  them  an  excuse  for  not  re 
turning.  It  was  hoped  that  I  should  be  tired  of  waiting,  and  go 
back  of  my  own  accord.  Hence  Jooma's  hints  that  I  might  per 
haps  be  kept  at  Shahidoolla  for  two  or  three  months. 

"  Lastly,  when  my  secretary  had  produced  my  letter  and  pres 
ents,  the  Yoozbashee  was  sent  to  meet  me  ;  but  he  delayed  so 
long  that  it  was  evident  they  would  have  been  very  glad  had  I 
taken  their  first  hint  and  gone  back. 

"From  this  I  conclude  that,  had  an  Englishman  presented 
himself  on  their  border  without  an  explanation  and  without  pre 
vious  arrangement,  he  would  have  been  simply  turned  back  ;  as, 
in  fact,  I  was  at  the  first." 


10 


CHAPTER  XII. 

THE  MARCH  TO  YARKAND 

THE  permission  to  advance  having  arrived,  and  so 
much  more  promptly  than  might  have  been 
anticipated,  Shaw  set  out  from  Shahidoolla  in  high 
spirits.  "  On  November  25th,"  he  says,  "  we  made  a 
long  march  down  the  Karakash.  We  saw  the  en 
trance  of  two  valleys  leading  to  passes  over  into 
Turkistan,  the  second  being  that  of  Kilian,  which  is 
the  summer  route  of  the  merchants. 

"  A  third  valley  or  rather  gorge,  in  the  north  side, 
was,  late  in  the  afternoon,  pointed  out  to  me  as  lead 
ing  to  the  Sanjoo  Pass.  On  reaching  it,  we  imme 
diately  discovered  a  group  of  Kirghiz  '  akooees,'  or 
felt  tents,  snugly  pitched  in  a  sheltered  nook.  In 
the  main  valley,  a  few  hundred  yards  lower  down, 
were  several  fields  of  stubble,  the  barley  having 
lately  been  reaped.  This  was  a  charming  sight  to 
eyes  accustomed  to  deserts  for  so  long  a  time.  I  was 
led  into  one  of  the  '  akooees,'  and  seated  in  front  of 
the  central  fire.  Presently,  two  Kirghiz  women 
came  in  and  began  preparing  tea  for  us,  which  I  and 
my  Mihmandar  drank  out  of  wooden  bowls,  adding 
gome  Yarkandee  biscuits  out  of  his  saddle-bags. 
Meanwhile  a  larger  '  akooee '  was  being  prepared  for 
me,  into  which  I  was  ushered.  Now,  for  the  first 


THE  MARCH  TO   YARKAND  139 

time,  I  had  leisure  to  examine  the  structure  of  these 
singular  tents.  You  remember  those  toys  made  by  a 
kind  of  trelliswork,  which  lengthen  when  open  and 
shorten  up  when  shut.  A  line  of  these  (with  meshes 
nearly  a  foot  wide)  are  half -opened,  and  set  up  on 
edge  in  a  circle.  They  compose  the  side  walls  of  the 
tent,  some  four  feet  high.  To  the  upper  edge  of 


Framework  of  Tent. 

these,  and  at  intervals  of  a  foot,  a  set  of  curved  rods 
are  tied.  These  have  a  bend  some  two  feet  from  the 
lower  end,  so  that  they  all  converge  inward,  toward 
the  centre,  forming  the  skeleton  of  a  low  dome.  But 
they  do  not  meet,  for  their  inner  ends  are  fixed  into 
holes  in  a  large  hoop  (some  three  feet  across),  thus 
leaving  a  large  opening  in  the  middle  of  the  roof. 
The  hoop  is  supported  by  these  rods  at  a  height  of 
ten  or  twelve  feet  from  the  ground.  A  lot  of  large 
sheets  of  felt,  cut  so  as  to  fit  over  the  different  parts 
of  the  framework,  and  sewn  round  the  edges  with  a 


140 


TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 


cord,  are  tightly  stretched  over  the  whole,  and  fas 
tened  with  ropes,  leaving  only  the  opening  in  the 
middle  of  the  roof  for  the  smoke  to  escape.  The 
framework  of  a  door  is  placed  in  an  opening  of  the 
side-walls,  and  a  felt  curtain  hangs  hefore  it. 

"  You  cannot  conceive  a  more  comfortable  dwell 
ing.     The  satisfaction  of  seeing  the  smoke  go  straight 


Tent,  as  Completed. 

up  and  away  is  inexpressible,  after  the  horrors  of  a 
fire  in  front  of  one's  tent,  which,  pitch  it  how  you 
will,  is  always  full  of  smoke.  The  Kirghiz  have  all 
the  comforts  of  a  house  in  these  movable  dwellings. 
The  furniture  forms  a  yak-load,  while  the  i  akooee  ' 
itself  is  carried  by  two  more.  Felt  carpeting  covers 
the  ground,  while  around  are  piled  bedding  for  the 
inmates,  wooden  vessels  of  all  sorts,  large  copper 
caldrons,  sacks  of  flour,  saddles,  and  saddle-cloths. 
From  the  framework  hang  large  bags  of  embroidered 


THE  MARCH  TO   YARKAND  141 

leather,  in  which  are  placed  the  smaller  household 
goods,  also  matchlocks  and  swords.  At  night,  when 
the  fire  goes  out,  a  sheet  of  felt  is  drawn  over  the 
opening  in  the  roof,  and  the  snugness  is  inconceiva 
ble  ;  while  nothing  could  exceed  its  cleanliness  and 
neatness.* 

"  Such  was  the  dwelling  in  which  I  was  now  es 
tablished.  Under  a  cloth  I  discovered  several  joints 
of  meat,  with  a  look  of  strange  flesh  about  them. 
On  inquiry,  I  found  they  were  horseflesh,  thus  giving 
me,  at  my  first  approach,  a  sample  of  the  habits  of 
the  country.  Seated  on  the  felt  carpet,  I  enjoyed  a 
comfortable  dinner,  and  went  to  bed,  for  the  first 
time,  in  a  Kirghiz  '  akooee.' 

"The  next  morning  our  road  lay  up  a  narrow 
winding  gorge,  northward,  with  tremendous  vertical 
cliffs  on  either  hand.  Dead  horses  were  passed  at 
every  few  hundred  yards,  marking  the  difficulties  of 
the  route.  We  took  up  our  abode  in  a  kind  of  caver 
so  as  to  save  the  delay  of  striking  the  tents  in  the 
morning.  On  the  following  day  we  started  for  the 
pass  into  Turkistan.  The  gorge  gradually  became 
steeper  and  steeper,  and  dead  horses  more  frequent. 
The  stream  was  hard  frozen  into  a  torrent  of  white 
ice.  The  distant  mountains  began  to  show  behind 
us,  peeping  over  the  shoulders  of  the  nearer  ones. 
Finally  our  gorge  vanished,  and  we  were  scrambling 

*  Marco  Polo  (Yule's  "  Marco  Polo,"  i. ,  220)  says:  "  The  Tartars' 
huts  or  tents  are  formed  of  rods  covered  with  felt,  and,  being  ex 
actly  round  and  nicely  put  together,  they  can  gather  them  into 
one  bundle  and  make  them  up  as  packages,  which  they  carry 
along  with  them  iu  their  migrations." 


142  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

up  the  open  shingly  side  of  the  mountain,  toward  the 
ridge. 

"  The  pass  is  very  little  lower  than  the  rest  of  the 
narrow  ridge  which  tops  the  range.  The  first  sight, 
on  cresting  the  £col,'  was  a  chaos  of  lower  mountains, 
while  far  away  to  the  north  the  eye  at  last  rested  on 
what  it  sought,  a  level  horizon  indistinctly  bounding 
what  looked  like  a  distant  sea.  This  was  the  plain 
of  Eastern  Turkistan,  and  that  bine  haze  concealed 
cities  and  provinces,  which,  first  of  all  my  country 
men,  I  was  about  to  visit.  A  step  farther  showed  a 
steep  descent  down  a  snow-slope,  into  a  large  basin 
surrounded  by  glaciers  on  three  sides.  This  basin 
was  occupied  by  undulating  downs,  covered  with 
grass  (a  most  welcome  sight),  and  occupied  by  herds 
of  yaks. 

"  We  here  rested,  lit  a  fire,  and  boiled  water  to 
ascertain  the  height  of  the  pass.  A  lot  of  yaks  were 
crossing  the  ridge  under  the  charge  of  several  Kirg 
hiz,  who  had  been  sent  for  to  help  my  luggage  across. 
We  waited  three-quarters  of  an  hour,  but  as  the  Mih- 
mandar  did  not  appear,  I  began  to  descend.  The 
path  was  a  zig-zag,  through  the  snow,  which  had  been 
trodden  into  most  slippery  ice.  My  pony,  having 
arrived,  was  taken  down  by  two  men,  one  of  whom 
supported  him  by  the  tail,  while  the  other  led  him. 
More  than  one  horse  had  recently  lost  his  footing 
here,  arid  rolled  down  the  slope,  and  we  saw  the 
crows  having  a  feast  off  the  carcasses  on  the  snow 
at  the  bottom.  After  a  few  hundred  feet  the  snow 
ceased,  but  the  descent  continued  steep  for  a  couple 
of  miles  of  zigzags.  Then  we  landed  on  the  upper- 


THE  MARCH  TO   TARKAND  143 

most  grassy  downs,  where  presently  we  found  a  party 
of  Moglmls  waiting  to  welcome  me.  Each  of  them 
came  forward  and  took  my  hand  between  both  of 
his,  with  which  he  afterward  stroked  his  beard. 
They  assisted  me  to  dismount,  and  conducted  me  to 
where  several  sheets  of  felt  were  spread  on  the 
ground.  While  tea  was  being  made,  they  advanced 
in  procession  ;  the  first  man  spread  a  cloth  on  the 
ground  before  me,  and  each  of  the  others  deposited 
his  tray  of  fruit  on  it.  Our  eyes  were  gladdened  by 
the  sight  of  rosy  apples  and  pears,  besides  other 
fruit  which  we  had  seen  before.  Our  hosts  then  in 
formed  us  that  they  were  the  servants  of  the  Yooz- 
bashee  *  (the  Vizier's  brother),  sent  to  welcome  me 
at  the  foot  of  the  pass,  and  that  their  master's  camp 
was  in  the  valley  not  far  down,  to  which  they  were 
instructed  to  bring  us  on  at  once. 

"On  Saturday,  the  28th,  after  breakfasting,  we 
continued  our  march,  fording  the  stream  several 
times.  All  the  servants  were  provided  with  horses 
or  yaks  to  ride,  and  when  we  passed  several  of  my 
Ladakees  on  foot,  my  Mihmandar  made  some  of  the 
Kirghiz  followers  dismount  and  give  their  yaks  to 
my  men.  About  five  miles  after  starting,  as  we 
mounted  the  steep  bank  of  the  stream  which  we  had 
just  crossed,  a  group  of  horsemen  met  us  on  the  top. 
The  foremost  advanced,  and  took  my  hand  in  both 
of  his,  holding  it  while  he  asked  me  several  questions 
in  a  cordial  tone  of  voice,  which  I  needed  no  inter 
preter  to  tell  me  were  inquiries  after  my  welfare. 

*  Derived  from  "  yooz,"  a  hundred,  and  "  bashee,"  an  officert 
(Toorkee),  and  therefore  meaning  a  "  centurion." 


144  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

He  then  turned  his  horse,  and  motioning  politely  to 
me  to  ride  by  his  side,  we  continued  our  journey. 
One  of  his  followers  started  off  at  a  wild  gallop  in 
front  of  us,  discharging  his  matchlock,  and  afterward 
whirling  it  round  his  head  with  a  loud  whoop.  This 
I  found  was  a  salute  intended  to  do  me  honor. 

"I  had  now  leisure  to  examine  the  appearance  of 
the  Yoozbashee.  He  was  a  young  man  of  apparently 
little  more  than  thirty  years,  with  a  bright,  intelligent 
face  and  energetic  manners.  His  head-dress  was  a 
green  turban.  A  sober-colored  outer  robe  covered 
the  richer  clothes  beneath,  and  was  fastened  round 
the  waist  by  two  separate  blue  belts  ornamented  with 
numerous  silver  clasps  and  bars.  To  these  belts  were 
attached  a  silver-hilted  sabre,  much  curved,  and  a 
series  of  nondescript  articles,  including  pouches  of 
embroidered  leather,  a  priming-flask  of  peculiar 
shape,  etc.  The  ends  of  a  pair  of  very  wide  trousers 
of  soft  yellow  leather  covered  with  embroidery  were 
just  visible  below  his  robe,  and  his  feet  were  enclosed 
in  boots,  or  rather  high  moccasins,  of  the  same,  with 
a  row  of  silver  nail-heads  round  the  soles.  He  rode 
a  small  but  handsome  gray  with  an  almost  Arab  look 
about  the  head,  but  a  heavier  neck,  and  his  seat  on 
horseback  was  perfection. 

"  We  rode  about  a  mile,  and  then  reached  a  little 
flat  covered  with  small  trees.  Here  was  an  encamp 
ment  of  Kirghiz,  together  with  the  followers  of  the 
Yoozbashee  and  their  horses.  I  was  taken  into  a 
Kirghiz  akooee  that  had  been  prepared  for  me,  and 
led  to  the  place  of  honor,  viz.,  a  carpet  spread  over 
the  sheets  of  felt  directly  opposite  the  door ;  this  car- 


THE  MARCH  TO   YARKAND  145 

pet  I  was  left  to  occupy  alone  in  my  glory,  while  the 
Yoozbashee  seated  himself  on  the  side  carpet  to  my 
right,  with  my  forirter  Mihmandar  below  him ;  two 
of  his  principal  attendants  were  seated  near  the  door, 
outside  which  the  remainder,  armed  with  match 
locks,  were  drawn  up  as  a  guard  of  honor.  Now  I 
must  explain  to  you  the  Toorkish  manner  of  sitting 
on  state  occasions ;  it  is  a  mode  of  torture  unknown 
to  Western  nations.  Natives  of  India,  as  a  rule, 
squat  down  with  their  feet  still  on  the  ground,  and 
their  knees  just  below  their  chins.  Others  cross 
their  legs  in  front  of  them,  and  sit  like  a  tailor. 
But  in  Toorkistan  the  ceremonious  manner  is  to 
kneel  down  with  your  robes  well  tucked  in,  and 
then  sit  back  onto  your  heels.  When  your  toes 
are  by  these  means  nearly  dislocated,  you  have  the 
option  of  turning  them  inward,  and  sitting  on  the 
inside  flat  of  the  feet.  By  this  means  the  disloca 
tion  is  transferred  from  your  toes  to  your  ankles 
and  knees. 

"The  sword  is  a  further  source  of  difficulty.  If, 
when  first  kneeling  down,  you  forget  to  keep  the 
point  in  front  of  you,  so  as  to  lay  it  across  your 
knees,  you  can  never  bring  it  round  afterward,  and  it 
remains  fixed  behind  you,  hitching  up  the  left  side  of 
your  belt  in  the  most  uncomfortable  manner,  and 
forming  a  stumbling-block  to  all  the  attendants  who 
bring  tea,  etc.  I  must  tell  you  that  swords  are  here 
worn  in  a  frog,  like  a  French  policeman's,  and  not 
loosely  attached  by  straps,  like  those  of  English  offi 
cers.  After  thus  seating  yourself,  you  spread  out 
both  arms,  and  then  bring  your  hands  to  your  face, 


14:6  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

solemnly  stroking  your  beard  (if  you  have  one),  and 
saying,  *  Allah-o-Akabar ' — '  God  is  great.' 

"  Thus  seated,  a  conversation  was  carried  on 
through  Jooina  as  interpreter.  The  Yoozbashee 
then  took  his  leave,  after  giving  me  a  short  note 
from  his  Majesty,  giving  me  a  military  salute  which 
I  fancy  they  must  have  taken  from  the  Kussians,  as 
it  is  in  continental  style.  Immediately  afterward  the 
procession  appeared,  headed  by  my  former  Mihman- 
dar,  whom  I  now  learned  to  call  the  Panjabashee 
(which  is  his  real  title,  meaning  t  captain  of  fifty '). 
They  laid  before  me  a  cloth,  and  covered  it  with 
trays  of  fruit  of  all  sorts,  eggs,  sugar,  bread,  etc. 
This  I  found  was  a  regular  institution  ;  it  is  called  a 
'  dastar-khan,'  and  during  the  remainder  of  my  jour 
ney  the  ceremony  took  place  every  morning  and 
evening  on  the  part  of  the  Yoozbashee ;  besides 
which  dastar-khans  were  presented  by  other  officials. 
I  generally  ate  one  or  two  of  the  fruit,  and  offered 
some  to  the  person  who  was  in  charge  ;  for  the  giver 
did  not  himself  accompany  it  as  a  rule,  but  sent  his 
highest  subordinate.  Presently  a  sheep  was  brought 
to  the  door,  and  a  cold  fowl  on  a  dish.  From  that 
day  to  this  a  fresh  sheep  has  appeared  daily  at  my 
door,  and  though  all  my  servants  are  feasted  on  mut 
ton,  and  I  constantly  give  away  whole  sheep,  yet  my 
Hock  keeps  on  increasing. 

"  Up  to  this  time  my  Ladakee  yak-drivers  had 
been  brought  along  with  us.  Their  yaks  and  ponies 
had  been  left  beyond  the  pass,  and  they  had  them 
selves  petitioned  to  be  discharged  there.  I  was  ready 
to  do  so,  but  the  Panjabashee  had  considered  it  nee- 


THE  MARCH  TO   TARKAND  147 

.essary  to  bring  them  with  us,  nominally  in  order  that 
they  might  not  be  dismissed  without  presents,  but  in 
reality  I  imagine  it  was  feared  they  might  carry 
away  letters  from  me.  Heaven  knows  I  had  but  lit 
tle  news  to  give  ! 

"  Arrived  at  the  Yoozbashee's  camp,  the  Ladakees 
made  another  desperate  effort  to  obtain  release. 
They  importuned  with  such  success  that  at  last  it  was 
decided  they  might  go. 

"Later  in  the  afternoon  I  paid  a  visit  of  ceremony 
to  the  Yoozbashee  in  his  own  akooee,  attended  by 
my  two  Guddee  servants  (arrayed  in  the  gorgeous 
cotton-silk  khilats  sent  by  the  Moonshee  from  Yar- 
kand),  and  preceded  by  the  Panjabashee.  I  went  to 
his  door.  He  put  me  on  the  carpet  of  honor,  and 
ordered  in  a  dastar-khan  and  tea.  He  had  now 
taken  off  his  outer  robe,  and  was  dressed  in  a  Yar- 
kand  silk  l  khilat,'  loose  and  shining ;  beneath  it  a 
4  kamsole,'  or  inner  robe  of  English  printed  muslin 
fastened  by  a  scarf  round  the  waist.  On  his  head, 
instead  of  a  turban,  was  a  tall  cap  of  dark-green  vel 
vet  turned  up  with  a  fur  lining.  I  am  always  look 
ing  out  for  something  Scythian  in  Toorkistan  ;  for  it 
is  pretty  well  agreed,  I  believe,  that  the  Asiatic  Scy 
thians,  at  any  rate,  were  the  progenitors  of  the  mod 
ern  Tartars,  under  which  very  vague  title  the  Toor- 
kees  are  certainly  included.  Sir  II.  Rawlinson  in 
deed  thinks  that  the  ancient  Sakae  or  '  Amyrgian 
Scythians '  of  Herodotus  inhabited  Yarkand  and 
Kashgar.  Now  their  characteristic  dress  was  a  tall 
pointed  cap  and  trousers.  Here  I  saw  them  before 
me  on  the  first  Toork  of  rank  that  I  had  met !  The 


148  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

head-dress  is  probably  peculiar  to  Central  Asia, 
Opposite  the  Yoozbashee  were  seated  his  moolah  or 
scribe,  who  knows  one  or  two  words  of  Persian,  and 
reads  and  writes  all  letters  for  his  master.  Also  the 
"  Alain  '  of  Sanjoo,  who  is  the  chief  minister  of  re 
ligion,  and  as  such  wears  a  peculiar  round  cap  with 
fur  border,  over  which  is  neatly  tied  a  large  white 
turban  of  peculiar  shape. 

"  After  breakfast  the  next  morning,  the  men  of 
Ladak  having  been  sent  off,  we  started  on  our  ride 
down  the  mountain  gorge,  a  horseman  galloping  off 
frantically  in  front  of  us  to  fire  the  usual  running 
salute.  Constantly  fording  the  stream  through 
sheets  of  ice,  and  raising  clouds  of  dust  as  we  rode 
along  the  barren  sides,  we  got  through  two  days' 
march.  I  was  disappointed  in  my  expectation  of 
finding  the  hill-sides  clothed  with  forests  or  verdure 
as  we  reached  a  lower  level.  A  few  small  deciduous 
trees,  and  a  little  grass  on  the  banks  of  the  stream, 
was  all  that  broke  the  barrenness  of  the  sandy  val 
ley.  The  mountain-sides  were  covered  with  a  coat 
of  light  soil,  through  which  the  rocks  cropped  out. 
-  On  such  precipitous  faces  a  few  heavy  showers  of 
rain  would  have  washed  it  all  away ;  it  would  thus 
appear  that  heavy  rain  is  unknown  here,  or  even 
much  snow. 

"The  interpreter  was  in  constant  requisition,  as 
the  Yoozbashee  was  very  friendly  and  communica 
tive.  Among  other  questions,  he  asked  how  it  was 
that  Shaw  Sahib  was  not  Uack,  as  he  lived  in  Ilin- 
dostan  ?  I  explained  that  the  real  home  of  the  Eng 
lish  was  in  a  cold  climate,  and  that  I  was  now  de- 


THE  MARCH  TO   YAEKAND  149 

lighted  at  reaching  a  country  where  the  people  re 
sembled  my  own  countrymen  in  color,  after  the  dark 
faces  of  India  ;  for  he  and  his  party  had  about  the 
complexion  of  a  well-bronzed  Englishman,  and  were 
no  darker  than  myself,  in  fact,  at  that  moment. 

"  Toward  afternoon  of  the  second  day,  the  valley 
began  to  widen,  and  the  hilly  sides  to  become  lower. 
Numberless  red-legged  partridges  were  calling  all 
around.  I  was  made  to  load  my  gun,  but  told  to 
come  along  on  horseback.  Instead  of  allowing  me  to 
walk  up  to  the  birds,  no  sooner  was  a  covey  seen 
than  our  whole  cavalcade  scattered  wildly  in  chase. 
Some  of  the  party  even  crossed  the  stream  after 
them,  yelling  with  excitement.  I  and  my  Guddee 
servants  roared  with  laughter  at  seeing  these  people 
galloping  after  the  partridges,  as  if  they  wished  to 
put  salt  on  their  tails  instead  of  shooting  them,  or 
letting  me  do  so.  I  watched  my  opportunity,  and 
when  they  were  out  of  the  way,  I  dismounted  and 
went  after  a  covey  which  I  heard  in  another  direc 
tion.  Returning  with  a  bird  I  had  shot,  I  was  met 
by  the  Yoozbashee  holding  five  live  ones  in  his  hand, 
and  shouting  for  Shaw  Sahib  to  come  and  look.  I 
was  astounded,  but  soon  discovered  that  this  appar 
ently  childish  amusement  of  galloping  after  par 
tridges  was  really  a  most  effectual  way  of  catching 
them.  Several  were  afterward  caught  in  my  sight. 
The  birds  fly  from  one  side  of  the  valley  to  the  other. 
If  put  up  again  immediately,  they  soon  get  tired, 
and  after  two  or  three  flights  begin  running  on  the 
ground.  Then  the  men  gallop  up,  and  strike  at 
them  with  their  whips.  It  is  a  most  exciting  amuse- 


150  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

ment  over  rough  country.  I  bad  heard  of  quails  be 
ing  caught  in  this  way  when  tired  by  a  long  flight 
during  their  annual  migrations,  but  did  not  imagine 
a  partridge  could  be  taken  so. 

"  When  the  partridges  ceased,  my  companions  be 
gan  skylarking  among  themselves,  displaying  the 
most  perfect  horsemanship  in  so  doing.  The  two 
clerical  gentlemen  chiefly  distinguished  themselves, 
viz.,  Moollah  Shereef,  and  the  Alam  of  Sanjoo,  who 
pulled  off  his  outer  robe  for  greater  freedom.  They 
caught  one  another  round  the  waist,  each  trying  to 
dislodge  the  other  from  his  saddle,  and  wrestled  on 
horseback ;  meanwhile  their  horses  were  leaping 
ditches  and  banks,  and  going  headlong  over  the 
roughest  ground.  Finally,  each  remained  in  posses 
sion  of  his  adversary's  turban.  The  Yoozbashee  en 
couraged  them  in  all  their  antics,  occasionally  start 
ing  forward  at  full  gallop  with  a  shout  and  a  laugh, 
to  the  great  discomposure  of  my  Guddee  servants' 
seats,  and  of  my  turban  (which  I  had  not  yet  learned 
to  tie  firmly).  While  amusing  ourselves  thus,  we 
reached  the  first  cultivation.  The  valley  was  no  dif 
ferent  from  before,  but  we  crossed  several  fields  of 
fallow  ground,  and  several  dry  irrigation  channels; 
while  on  the  other  side  of  the  stream  there  was  a 
clump  of  leafless  trees,  and  two  or  three  mud-built 
houses  with  flat  roofs.  Presently  a  flock  of  sheep 
appeared,  and  then  a  lot  of  donkeys  grazing.  I 
hailed  all  these  signs  of  inhabited  lands  with  delight, 
to  the  great  amusement  of  the  Yoozbashee,  who, 
however,  seemed  quite  to  understand  what  the  pleas 
ure  must  be  of  leaving  behind  us  the  deserts  where 


THE  MARCH  TO   TARKAND  151 

we  had  been  so  long.  He  called  my  attention  to 
each  fresh  object  that  presented  itself,  saying  with  a 
smile :  '  Here,  Shaw  Sahib,  here  is  a  tree,  and  there 
is  a  heap  of  straw  earthed  over  to  keep  for  the  cat 
tle  ;  and  look,  there  are  cocks  and  hens,  and  a  peas 
ant's  house ! ' 

"  The  hills  had  by  this  time  sunk  into  long  low 
ridges  a  few  hundred  feet  high,  still  chiefly  sand 
slopes  with  a  few  rocks  cropping  out.  The  name 
of  the  first  cultivated  ground  was  Kewas,  but  the 
houses  were  few  and  much  scattered.  In  fact  I 
could  distinguish  no  separation  of  villages,  although 
different  names  were  given  me  by  the  way.  From 
the  first  hamlet,  a  succession  of  habitations  appeared ; 
at  first  very  far  apart,  and  then  getting  more  and 
more  numerous  as  we  proceeded.  At  last  we  halted 
at  a  little  farm-house.  The  Yoozbashee  dismounted, 
arid  led  me  into  a  little  court-yard  surrounded  by 
mud  walls,  and  thence  into  a  room  opening  into  it. 
It  was  empty,  the  people  being  employed  somewhere 
.near,  but  we  took  possession.  After  sitting  down 
with  me,  and  saying  c  Allahoakber,'  he  hurried  off 
with  a  smile  and  a  wave  of  the  hand,  to  find  lodgings 
for  himself.  The  other  principal  room  of  the  house, 
on  the  other  side,  was  taken  for  this  purpose,  while 
the  remainder  of  our  followers  pitched  tents  outside. 
My  cooking-fire  was  lit  in  the  court-yard. 

"  A  cat  appeared  and  made  great  friends  with  me, 
taking  me  quite  under  its  protection,  purring  and  sit 
ting  down  by  my  side  opposite  the  fire.  I  accepted 
this  as  a  happy  omen  on  first  entering  a  strange  land. 
1  really  felt  the  company  of  this  friendly  cat  quite  a 


152  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

comfort ;  it  seemed  at  once  to  make  one  at  home. 
We  afterward  found  that  cats  were  a  favored  race  in 
Toorkistan — not  the  scared,  half-starved  things  that 
disappear  round  corners  in  Indian  houses,  but  sleek, 
well-fed  creatures  which  know  how  to  purr,  and  scorn 
to  steal.  While  I  write,  there  are  four  of  them  lying 
in  all  positions  on  the  rug  in  front  of  my  fire ! 

"  The  owner  of  the  house,  and  his  family,  had  a 
glorious  feast,  for  I  gave  them  the  greater  part  of 
my  dastar-khan,  consisting  of  a  dozen  or  more  large 
sheets  of  bread  (I  measured  some  two  feet  in  diame 
ter  !  they  are  delicious,  being  made  of  Yarkand  flour; 
as  light  as  French  rolls,  though  made  without  leaven), 
and  of  fruit  of  all  sorts.  In  the  morning  we  rode 
about  three  miles,  the  cultivation  being  continuous, 
and  the  houses  more  and  more  numerous,  while  the 
hedgerows  were  planted  with  poplars,  apple  and  pear 
trees,  all  leafless  now.  We  now  saw,  on  ahead,  a 
small  body  of  horsemen  drawn  up  by  the  side  of  the 
way,  and  their  leader  dressed  in  black,  and  sitting  on 
a  splendid  black  horse.  The  Yoozbashee  told  me 
this  was  the  '  Beg,'  or  Governor,  of  Sanjoo  come  out 
to  meet  me,  and  conduct  me  in,  and  asked  whether  I 
would  get  off,  or  salute  him  on  horseback.  I  said,  i  I 
will  go  entirely  by  your  advice  in  these  matters  ;  for 
you  know  the  respective  ranks  of  the  different  of 
ficers  whom  I  shall  meet,  and  to  whom  the  various 
marks  of  respect  are  due.'  He  said,  i  Then  do  as  I 
do.'  When  within  twenty  yards,  he  pulled  up  and 
dismounted,  the  Beg  riding  forward  and  doing  the 
same.  They  ran  forward  to  meet  one  another  and 
embraced,  each  putting  his  chin  on  the  other's  right 


.          .  !"  '•  "' 


THE  MARCH  TO   Y ARK  AND  153 

shoulder,  and  his  arms  round  his  body.  Then  the 
Beg  turned  to  me,  the  Yoozbashee  introducing  me  by 
name,  and  we  clasped  both  hands,  finishing  by  strok 
ing  the  beard,  and  saying  '  Allah-o-Akabar.'  After 
remounting,  the  Yoozbashee  told  me  that  his  friend 
the  Beg  had  just  lost  a  wife,  which  was  the  reason  of 
his  being  all  in  black  upon  a  black  horse.  I  told 
him  this  was  also  the  color  we  used  in  mourning. 

"  By  this  time  we  reached  a  fine  clump  of  tall 
poplars,  with  a  little  square,  and  a  mosque  (which 
was  merely  a  room  open  at  the  front,  where  a  row  of 
wooden  pillars  took  the  place  of  a  wall).  A  street 
opened  into  the  little  square,  but  consisted  merely  of 
two  opposite  mud  walls,  with  a  door  in  them  every 
thirty  yards.  Entering  one  of  these  doors  on  the 
right,  we  passed  through  one  clean-looking  court 
yard  into  a  second  ;  then  up  four  or  five  steps  across 
a  wide  veranda  into  a  room,  well  carpeted,  and  with 
a  bright  fire,  lie  re,  after  complimentary  speeches 
and  inquiries,  the  Beg  and  the  Yoozbashee  left  me. 

The  people  here,  as  elsewhere  in  Eastern  Toorkis- 
tan,  seem  very  well-to-do.  No  rags  or  appearance  of 
poverty  anywhere.  Every  member  of  the  crowd 
that  gathered  round  our  party  as  we  arrived  and 
started,  was  dressed  in  several  good  thick  robes  reach 
ing  below  the  knee,  with  high  leather  boots,  and  a 
cap  turned  up  all  round,  showing  a  handsome  fur 
lining.  The  women  did  not  appear  much,  but  I  saw 
one  or  two  in  long  robes,  not  fastened  in  at  the  waist 
and  reaching  to  the  ankle,  boots  like  the  men,  and  a 
similar  fur  cap  on  the  top  of  a  white  handkerchief 

which  covered  the  ears  and  back  of  the  head  and 
11 


154  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

neck.  I  noticed  that  they  examined  me  quite  freely, 
looking  over  the  tops  of  their  gates,  but  the  moment 
the  Yoozbashee  appeared  they  immediately  hid.  I 
find  that,  as  a  rule,  in  this  country  the  women  go 
about  openly  unveiled,  but  whenever  a  religious  mag 
istrate  is  seen  coming,  they  either  run  away  or  draw 
down  an  open-work  veil  over  their  faces. 

"  The  Yoozbashee  showed  me  the  horses  which  he 
had  left  at  Sanjoo.  Toorkee  horses  are  taken  im 
mense  care  of  and  well  groomed,  but  their  treatment 
differs  from  ours  in  some  particulars.  The  saddles 
are  never  taken  off  night  or  day,  but  covered  over 
with  horse-clothing,  which  extends  to  the  neck  and 
head.  They  are  walked  about  for  a  greater  part  of 
the  time  that  they  are  not  on  the  road,  sometimes 
for  four  or  five  hours  after  coming  in.  Even  the 
common  horses  are  tied  up,  and  not  allowed  to  feed 
indiscriminately.  They  get  plenty  of  corn  (barley  or 
Indian  corn),  and  but  little  grass.  This  makes  them 
very  fit  for  long  journeys.  The  saddles  are  of  paint 
ed  and  polished  wood,  with  a  very  high  peak  in  front, 
and  are  well  raised  from  the  back-bone.  Their  trap 
pings  are  very  rich,  with  embroidered  cloths  and  sil 
ver  mountings.  The  Yoozbashee  said,  '  You  must 
take  your  choice  of  one  out  of  these  three  horses  of 
mine,  with  all  his  belongings.'  I  pretended  to  be 
shocked  at  the  idea,  and  said  '  No.'  He  laughed,  and 
we  parted.  This  offer  he  repeated  once  more  before 
we  reached  Yarkand,  but  I  again  politely  refused  ; 
and  learned  afterward  that  I  had  done  quite  right,  as 
it  would  not  have  been  the  thing  for  me  to  accept  a 
present  from  anyone  but  the  Vizier  or  the  King. 


THE  MARCH  TO   TARKAND  155 

"  It  would  only  tire  the  reader  if  I  were  to  trace 
the  remainder  of  my  journey,  step  by  step,  as  I  have 
done  hitherto.  I  need  only  describe  the  general  feat 
ures  of  the  country,  and  our  manner  of  travelling. 
As  for  the  former,  on  leaving  the  fertile  valley  of 
Sanjoo  we  ascended  the  sandy  cliff  to  our  north, 
several  hundred  feet,  and  then  came  into  an  immense 
undulating  plain  of  sand,  scantily  spotted  with  small 
and  scraggy  bushes.  This  plain  sloped  down  from 
the  foot  of  the  mountains  to  our  left  (south),  and  we 
could  see  in  the  distance  to  our  right  that  it  was  cut 
up  into  ravines  at  its  descent  into  the  level  plains. 
For  four  days  we  rode  westward  along  this  desert, 
which  was  broken  in  four  places  at  unequal  distances 
by  streams  coming  down  from  the  mountains  and  fer 
tilizing  the  land  on  either  side  of  them.  These  fer 
tile  strips,  sunk  below  the  surface  of  the  neighboring 
desert,  form  oases  covered  with  villages  and  highly 
cultivated.  Thus  we  always  had  a  village  to  rest  in 
at  night,  though  our  day's  journey  was  entirely  over 
barren  sand. 

"  At  intervals,  tall  poles  with  sign-boards  marked 
the  distances  along  the  road,  the  measurement  being 
by  the  '  tash,'  equalling  nearly  five  of  our  miles,  I 
reckoned. 

"  The  villages,  with  their  surrounding  orchards  and 
crowds  of  noisy  fowl,  reminded  me  of  home,  but 
lacked  the  high  gables  and  numerous  doors  and  win 
dows  of  the  English  farm-house.  Instead  of  this, 
blank  walls  surrounding  court-yards,  and  low  build 
ings  with  no  visible  roof,  put  one  in  mind  of  a  man 
both  bald  and  blind.  There  are  no  hedges,  but  the 


156  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

number  of  trees  both  round  the  houses  and  along  the 
water-courses  prevent  the  country  from  having  the 
bare  appearance  of  some  of  the  French  provinces. 

"  Numberless  little  hamlets  of  two  or  three  houses 
in  a  group  are  scattered  over  the  whole  face  of  it,  and 
bear  witness  to  the  long  existence  of  a  settled  govern 
ment  and  security  to  the  inhabitants,  so  different 
from  the  Punjab,  where  former  misrule  and  anarchy 
have  accustomed  the  people  to  crowd  all  their  houses 
together  for  safety,  till  a  village  resembles  a  huge 
ant-hill  with  many  exits.  Irrigation  seems  to  be 
carried  to  a  great  extent ;  in  fact  all  cultivation  de 
pends  on  it,  as  there  is  little  rain.*  The  water 
courses  run  in  all  directions,  being  carried  over  and 
under  one  another  at  the  road,  and  by  small  aque 
ducts  over  marshes  and  hollows.  The  falls  and 
sluices  are  utilized  in  driving  stamping-mills  for 
husking  the  rice,  and  in  the  manufacture  of  gun 
powder,  pounding  the  saltpetre,  etc.  These  are 
driven  by  a  wheel  with  a  single  cog,  a  pair  of  pestles 
rising  and  falling  alternately,  like  long  slender  ham 
mers.  We  passed  through  Kargalik  and  two  other 
towns,  one  smaller  and  one  larger  than  it.  They  are 
much  like  Indian  towns,  except  that  the  streets  of  the 
bazaar  are  covered  over  for  the  sake  of  shade — a  pre 
caution  not  much  wanted  at  this  time  of  year,  when 
all  the  pools  and  tanks  are  hard  frozen.  The  great 

*In  the  travels  of  Hwui  Seng,  the  Chinese  pilgrim,  A.D.  519, 
it  is  written  :  "The  people  of  this  region  use  the  water  of  the 
rivers  for  irrigating  the  fields ;  and  when  they  were  told  that  in 
the  middle  country  (China)  the  fields  were  watered  by  the  rain, 
they  laughed  and  said,  '  How  could  Heaven  provide  enough  for 
all  ? ' " 


THE  MARCH   TO   TARKAND  157 

difference  from  the  appearance  of  Indian  towns  is  in 
the  greater  look  of  well-being  in  the  inhabitants. 
Their  clothes  are  all  so  good  and  substantial,  and 
they  are  indebted  to  the  tailor  for  the  whole  of  their 
garments,  ignoring  that  untidy  Indian  custom  of 
throwing  loose  sheets  over  their  bodies!  There  is 
an  absence  of  the  coolie  class  too,  with  its  blank  stare 
of  utter  stupidity  ;  here  every  one  looks  respectable, 
brisk,  and  intelligent.  The  townspeople  all  gather 
in  rows  on  either  hand,  and  bow  low  to  the  King's 
guest  with  both  hands  crossed  on  their  breasts.  This 
is  their  mode  of  salutation.  Women  bow  with  their 
arms  hanging  down  instead.  The  'as-salaam  alei- 
koom'  is  for  my  conductor,  the  Yoozbashee,  a  true  be 
liever,  who  replies  with  a  constantly  repeated  '  o  alei- 
koom  as  salaam.' 

"  At  Kargalik  one  of  the  features  of  the  place  was 
rather  startling,  viz.,  a  gallows  standing  by  the  side 
of  the  principal  street  at  the  entrance  of  the  town. 
It  was  unoccupied  at  the  time,  but  seemed  well  worn. 

"  At  one  of  these  places  I  was  shown  a  newly- 
caught  black  eagle  of  the  sort  called  '  Birkoot,'  which 
are  trained  to  catch  antelope  and  deer,  as  falcons  do 
birds.  The  unfortunate  creature  was  hooded,  and 
wrapped  up,  wings,  talons  and  all,  in  a  sheep-skin, 
and  this  bundle  was  suspended  (head  downward) 
from  the  man's  saddle  during  the  march.  They  con 
sider  this  treatment  has  a  tendency  to  tame  the  bird  !  * 

*  Marco  Polo  (Yule's  Marco  Polo,  i.  343,  and  note  at  p.  355) 
says  :  "  His  Majesty  lias  eagles  also  which  are  trained  to  stoop  at 
wolves,  and  such  is  their  size  and  strength  that  none,  however 
large,  can  escape  from  their  talons." 


158  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

"  But  I  have  not  yet  given  an  account  of  the  man 
ner  of  our  journeying,  and  of  the  treatment  bestowed 
on  me.  They  gave  me  a  capital  horse  to  ride,  as 
they  did  also  to  all  my  servants.  A  couple  of 
troopers  were  put  in  charge  of  my  baggage,  which 
followed  us  well.  The  Yoozbashee  had  about  a 
dozen  attendants  with  him  ;  besides  which  two  or 
three  of  his  men  were  always  on  the  road  either  to 
or  from  Yarkand,  carrying  reports  of  our  progress, 
and  rejoining  our  party  in  an  incredibly  short  time, 
dressed  in  new  robes,  and  bringing  complimentary 
messages  from  the  Shaghawal  to  the  Mihman  (my 
self).  What  they  can  have  found  to  report  I  cannot 
imagine  ;  but  it  was  evident  they  still  had  great  mis 
givings  about  the  coming  of  an  Englishman,  though 
they  outwardly  veiled  them  under  the  show  of  the 
greatest  politeness.  As  for  the  Yoozbashee,  he  was 
the  most  cordial  and  agreeable  of  companions.  As 
full  of  fun  as  a  schoolboy  home  for  the  holidays,  he 
kept  the  whole  party  alive  and  merry.  At  one  mo 
ment  he  was  talking  to  me  in  a  kind  of  lingua  franca, 
chiefly  Toorkee,  with  a  few  words  of  Persian,  to 
which  I  responded  with  the  languages  in  the  inverse 
ratio.  Our  alternate  mistakes  were  of  course  a  great 
fund  of  amusement,  in  which  the  whole  party  joined. 
When,  as  sometimes  happened,  we  managed  to  un 
derstand  one  another,  he  would  poke  me  in  the  ribs, 
or  pretend  to  pull  me  off  the  horse,  laughing  heartily. 
When  I  mentioned  to  him  anything  that  struck  his 
fancy,  for  instance  any  of  the  arts  and  contrivances 
of  civilization,  he  would  hold  up  his  finger  at  me, 
shaking  his  head  with  a  smile,  and  saying,  *  Ah, 


THE  MARCH  TO   TARKAND  159 

Shaw  Sahib,'  in  a  voice  that  implied, '  You  "  Frangs  " 
are  certainly  leagued  with  "  Shaitan."  : 

"  Tlie  next  minute  he  would  begin  an  Andijanee 
song,  flourishing  his  whip  about,  and  suddenly  bring 
ing  it  down  on  the  shoulders  of  some  unconscious 
attendant.  One  day,  sitting  with  me  at  our  abode 
for  the  night,  he  saw  my  warm  gloves,  and  put  them 
on.  A  confidential  servant  was  passing  the  door  ;  he 
called  him  in,  and,  pretending  he  had  something  to 
whisper  to  him,  brought  him  close  up.  Then  he 
gave  him  five  or  six  hearty  cuffs  on  the  face  with  my 
gloves,  as  gravely  as  possible.  The  man  looked  quite 
scared,  and  I  thought  he  must  have  committed  some 
fault,  when  suddenly  the  Yoozbashee  burst  out  laugh 
ing,  and  showed  him  his  two  hands  with  the  gloves 
on.  The  man  took  the  joke,  and,  following  the 
Scripture  precept,  presented  his  other  cheek  to  the 
smiter,  who  immediately  took  advantage  of  the  offer. 
Once  we  had  stopped  at  a  road-side  mosque  for  the 
purpose  of  saying  afternoon  prayers.  He  and  his 
party  having  finished,  came  running  out  like  a  lot  of 
boys  when  school  is  over.  Three  women,  who  were 
coming  along  the  road,  seeing  the  crowd,  turned 
aside  into  a  field.  Upon  which  my  friend  stood  still, 
and  cried,  4  Khanem,  khanem,'  which  means,  '  lady.' 
At  last  they  were  obliged  to  answer,  when  the  Yooz 
bashee,  with  the  greatest  mock  politeness,  began  a 
long  speech  to  them  about  the  happiness  of  meeting 
them,  his  having  come  expressly  for  the  purpose,  and 
brought  the  Mihman  with  him,  and  regretting  he 
had  not  time  for  any  further  conversation.  The 
women,  meanwhile,  half-amused  and  half-shy  at  so 


160  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

many  people,  stood  with  their  heads  turned  away. 
My  friend  finished  with  a  low  and  ceremonious  how, 
and  a  solemn  salaam,  and  then  turned  to  see  whether 
I  was  amused  at  the  joke,  joining  himself  in  the 
laughter. 

"  At  every  village  we  were  welcomed  hy  officers  of 
the  district  to  which  it  belonged,  and  conducted  to 
rooms  prepared  for  us,  as  at  Sanjoo.  About  three 
miles  from  Kargalik,  the  Beg  of  that  town  met  us, 
and  after  dismounting  and  saluting  him,  I  was  led  to 
a  carpet  spread  under  some  trees,  and  seated  in  the 
place  of  honor,  while  all  our  attendants  sat  down  on 
other  carpets  at  a  distance.  Dastar-khans  were  then 
brought,  consisting  of  basins  of  soup,  pilao  in  huge 
bowls,  big  sheets  of  bread,  and  numberless  dishes  of 
fruit.  After  we  had  all  eaten  in  our  several  places, 
the  Yoozbasb.ee  requested  me  to  sit  still  while  the 
whole  party  spread  their  outer  coats  in  front  of  me, 
and  recited  their  afternoon  prayers.  We  afterward 
resumed  our  journey  through  horrible  clouds  of  dust 
caused  by  our  augmented  cavalcade.  By  my  side 
rode  a  Bokhara  hajjee,  who  with  a  companion  had 
ridden  out  to  meet  us  about  half  a  day's  march,  lie 
had  travelled  through  India,  Arabia,  and  even  Room 
(Turkey). 

"  Crossing  an  arm  of  the  great  Takla-Makan  Des 
ert,  we  saw  two  'keek,'  a  small  antelope  which  fre 
quents  it.  They  have  peculiar  lyre-shaped  horns  of 
which  I  brought  home  a  specimen.  The  Yoozba- 
shee  says  they  go  in  large  herds,  as  do  also  wild  cam 
els  (?)  in  the  great  desert  eastward.  This  desert  is 
connected  with  wonderful  superstitions.  They  say 


THE  MARCH  TO   YARKAND  161 

there  once  dwelt  a  heathen  nation  there,  to  whom 
went  Jalla-ooddeen  preaching  Islam.  They  agreed 
to  become  Mussulmans  if  the  saint  could  turn  all 
their  dwellings  into  gold.  A  few  prayers  and  the 
thing  was  done.  But  now  these  infidels  turned 
round  on  him  and  said,  '  Old  man,  we  have  all  we 
want ;  why  should  we  be  Mussulmans  ? '  The  holy 
man  turned  away,  but,  as  he  left  them,  the  sand  rose 
and  overwhelmed  them  and  their  possessions.  Many 
a  search  has  been  made  for  these  treasures,  but  some 
magic  delusion  always  destroys  those  who  wander  in 
this  desert.  I  told  the  Yoozbashee  the  story  which 
Herodotus  relates  of  the  gold-digging  ants  in  this 
very  place. 

"  At  each  town  the  Governor  or  Beg  rode  out 
with  his  retinue  three  or  four  miles  to  meet  me, 
bringing  a  '  dastar-khan,'  or  dinner,  which  was  pre 
pared  for  the  whole  party  (nearly  twenty  in  number). 
Bowls  of  soup,  huge  platters  of  pilao,  roast  fowls  by 
the  dozen,  fruit,  bread,  etc.,  were  put  before  iis,  and 
afterward  I  was  escorted  into  the  town,  riding  be 
tween  the  Beg  and  the  Yoozbashee.  The  chief  mer 
chants  met  us  outside  the  gates,  while  the  people  of 
the  town  were  ranged  in  rows  along  the  streets. 

"After  conducting  me  to  my  lodging  for  the  night 
in  the  Governor's  house,  and  sitting  a  short  time 
with  me,  the  Beg  would  take  his  leave,  but  would 
come  again  in  the  morning  to  escort  me  out  of  the 
town.  After  parting  with  him  at  the  gates,  and  rid 
ing  a  couple  of  hours,  we  always  found  another 
4  dastar-khan '  awaiting  us  under  some  grove  of  trees, 
sent  out  by  the  Beg  of  the  town  we  had  just  left. 


162  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

Even  the  beads  of  little  unwalled  towns,  which  we 
did  not  stop  at,  would  bring  out  dastar-khans,  and 
entreat  us  to  honor  them  by  at  least  drinking  a  cup 
of  tea.  I  began  to  get  quite  frightened  at  the  name 
of  dastar-khan.  The  quantities  of  superfluous  food 
and  unnecessary  tea  which  I  consumed  during  the 
journey  were  enormous. 

"  As  we  approached  Yarkand,  the  honorary  mes 
sengers  were  despatched  more  frequently  than  ever, 
returning  in  their  new  robes.  We  crossed  a  consid- 

<3 

erable  river,  which  I  was  told  is  navigated  by  boats 
in  the  summer  months  when  its  bed  is  full.  Xow  it 
is  divided  into  five  streams,  all  of  them  fordable. 
The  Yoozbashee  had  told  me  that  I  should  be  met 
outside  the  city  of  Yarkand  by  some  person  of  con 
sequence,  the  brother  or  son  of  the  Shaghawal  (Viz 
ier,  or  Governor),  to  whom  it  would  be  proper  for 
me  to  present  a  '  jama,'  or  robe.  He  asked  me 
whether  I  was  provided  with  such  a  present,  and  told 
me  that  I  might  command  him  for  anything  I  re 
quired,  were  it  1,000  tillahs  (about  £600).  At  the 
same  time  he  wrote  in  to  the  Shaghawal  to  hint  to 
him  that,  my  caravan  being  delayed,  I  had  not  by 
me  the  proper  robe  to  present  to  a  man  of  high 
rank,  and  should  therefore  feel  uncomfortable  if  one 
came  to  meet  me,  and  that  a  smaller  man  had  better 
be  sent.  Accordingly,  I  was  met  three  miles  from 
Yarkand  by  another  Yoozbashee  in  gorgeous  cloth 
ing,  with  about  thirty  horsemen,  who  were  drawn  up 
in  line  to  receive  me.  We  dismounted  and  em 
braced  in  Eastern  fashion.  (I  had  practised  this  on 
the  Beg  of  Poskyam,  and  signally  failed  from  rais- 


THE  MARCH  TO   TARKAND  163 

ing  the  wrong  arm.)  He  astonished  me  by  the  vig 
orous  clasp  he  gave  me,  and  completely  stopped  rny 
breath  as  I  was  preparing  to  accompany  the  embrace 
with  a  series  of  polite  questions  as  to  his  health.  I 
then  presented  him  with  a  new  robe  (lent  me  by  my 
Yoozbashee  for  the  purpose),  which  one  of  my  ser 
vants  put  over  his  shoulders.  After  this  we  all  re 
mounted,  and  continued  our  journey.  Shortly  after 
ward  a  long  low  line  appeared  in  front  of  us,  in 
which  I  recognized  the  object  of  my  long  journey- 
ings ;  it  was  the  wall  of  Yarkand.  As  we  ap 
proached  through  a  perfectly  flat  country,  one  object 
was  conspicuous,  rising  above  the  wall  directly  in 
front  of  us.  It  was  a  tall  square  scaffolding,  like 
that  of  a  tower  that  is  building,  with  an  upper  and  a 
lower  platform  at  the  top.  Seeing  my  look  of  in 
quiry  Moollah  Shereef  whispered  to  me  in  Persian 
that  it  was  the  execution-stage !  This  is  the  first 
thing  a  stranger  sees  of  the  city  of  Yarkand. 

"  After  twenty  minutes'  ride  through  a  labyrinth 
of  winding  streets,  we  passed  out  through  another 
gate,  and  crossed  an  empty  piece  of  ground,  some 
four  hundred  yards  across,  which  divided  the  old 
from  the  new  city.  A  few  tumble-down  houses 
marked  the  site  of  a  bazaar  which,  under  the  Chinese 
regime,  united  the  two  towns.*  The  '  Yang-Shahr ' 
(New  Town),f  which  we  were  approaching,  had 
been  built  as  a  place  of  habitation  and  refuge  by 

*  In  1877,  eight  years  after  Shaw's  visit,  the  Chinese  regime  was 
restored. 

f  There  is  a  "  Yang-Shahr"  or  cantonment  at  each  of  the  cities 
of  East  Toorkistan.  This  word  must  not  be  confounded  "  Yang- 


164  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

the  foreign  rulers  of  the  country.  Whenever  any 
tumult  or  rising  took  place,  the  Chinese  troops  seem 
to  have  retired  inside  and  patiently  waited  till 
matters  blew  over,  when  they  would  issue  out  and 
resume  their  former  position  in  the  country.  The 
walls  are  of  the  same  material  as  those  of  the 
old  city,  but  surrounded  by  a  deep  ditch,  and  sur 
mounted  at  intervals  by  curious  pagoda-like  build 
ings,  relics  of  Chinese  occupation.  The  gateway  was 
in  similar  style  ;  while  round  about  it  were  congre 
gated  great  numbers  of  Toorkee  soldiers  in  red  tunics 
and  trousers.  Inside,  many  more  were  lounging 
about  in  picturesque  attitudes,  singing  and  dancing 
with  such  a  studied  air  of  ease,  such  a  careful  assump 
tion  of  nonchalance,  that  I  immediately  discovered 
the  purpose  of  the  assemblage.  Nor  did  they  seem 
sufficiently  at  home  in  their  uniforms  for  me  to  be 
lieve  that  they  were  in  the  habit  of  wearing  them. 
Two  or  three  were  practising  the  goose-step,  and  I 
am  to  this  moment  undecided  whether  they  were 
meant  to  represent  recruits  at  drill  or  sentries  walk 
ing  up  and  down  at  their  post.  A  short  way  down 
the  street  we  came  upon  an  artillery  barrack  with  a 
row  of  small  guns  and  howitzers  in  front.  The  ar- 

Hissar,"  which  is  the  name  of  a  town,  itself  provided  with  a 
"Yang-Shahr." 

Marco  Polo  says  (see  Yule's  Marco  Polo,  i.  300),  "While  on 
the  subject  of  the  armies  of  the  Grand  Khan,  it  may  be  proper 
here  to  observe  .  .  .  that  it  became  necessary  to  keep 
armies  in  such  of  the  provinces  as  contained  large  cities  and  an 
extensive  population,  which  [armies]  are  stationed  at  the  distance 
of  four  or  five  miles  from  those  cities,  and  can  enter  them  at 
their  pleasure." 


THE    SHA6HAWAL    OF    YARKAXD. 


THE  MARCH  TO   T ARK  AND  165 

tillerymen  were  dressed  in  blue,  and  my  eye  imme 
diately  rested  on  a  group  better  dressed  than  the 
others,  apparently  officers.  There  was  no  mistaking 
them  for  anything  but  natives  of  India,  possibly  old 
mutineers. 

"  A  few  hundred  yards  farther  on  the  street  led 
into  an  open  space,  beyond  which  was  another  wall 
and  a  gate.  Before  reaching  this  we  pulled  up  and 
dismounted,  and  I  was  led  into  a  house  on  the  left  by 
the  two  Yoozbashees.  Passing  through  three  court 
yards,  we  reached  a  kind  of  pavilion  at  the  end  of 
the  third.  The  flat  roof  projecting  in  front  formed 
a  broad  veranda  supported  on  high  pillars ;  in  the 
middle,  a  recess  carried  back  to  the  farther  wall  held 
a  kind  of  raised  divan,  matted  and  carpeted  for  visi 
tors  to  sit  on;  on  either  side  of  the  recess  doors 
opened  into  comfortable  rooms,  furnished  with  Bok 
hara  carpets  and  with  bright  fires  burning.  The 
Yoozbashee  informed  me  that  this  house  was  mine, 
aud  that,  after  resting  a  little,  I  should  be  taken  to 
see  the  Shaghawal,  or  Governor." 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

RESIDENCE  IN   YARKAND 

SHAW  was  left  alone  for  a  short  time,  after  being 
installed  in  his  residence,  and  then  the  Yooz- 
bashee  who  had  accompanied  him  from  the  Sanjoo 
Pass  appeared  to  conduct  him  to  the  Shaghawal,  01 
Governor.  This  officer,  he  had  discovered,  was  not 
only  the  Governor  of  Yarkand,  but  also  the  second 
man  in  the  kingdom,  corresponding  to  the  Grand 
Yizier  in  Turkey.  During  the  absence  of  the  Ata- 
lik-Ghazee,  or  King,  in  Kashgar,  he  occupied  the 
palace  at  Yarkand. 

"Passing  through  the  great  gate  which  I  had  be 
fore  seen,"  says  Shaw,  "  and  which  was  full  of  sol 
diers  (no  sham  appearance  of  neglige  here),  we 
reached  a  second  similarly  guarded  portal,  which  gave 
access  to  the  interior  of  the  palace.  One  large  court 
yard  was  crossed.  Its  four  sides  were  lined  with  of 
ficials  sitting  solemnly  with  eyes  fixed  on  the  ground, 
and  each  bearing  a  white  wand  in  his  hand.  The 
silence  prevailing  amid  such  numbers  of  men  made 
an  impression  quite  in  keeping  with  the  scene,  the 
palace  of  an  Oriental  despot.  Before  the  door  of  a 
second  court-yard,  a  large  screen  concealed  every 
thing  until  we  entered.  Here  the  solitude  of  the  in 
ner  penetralia  was  as  effective  as  the  silent  crowd 


RESIDENCE  IN  TARKAND  167 

without.  An  usher  with  a  white  wand  preceded  us, 
and  half-way  up  the  court  stopped  me  to  point 
through  a  distant  door,  where  he  whispered  to  me 
the  Shaghawal  was  visible.  I  saluted  him  as  required 
by  bowing,  and  then  was  conducted  up  some  steps  to 
the  door  of  the  room.  Here  everyone  left  me,  and 
the  usher  motioned  to  me  to  enter  alone.  A  small, 
elderly  man  in  sober-colored  clothes  was  sitting  on  a 
cushion  by  the  fire.  He  rose,  and  hurried  forward, 
to  meet  me  near  the  door,  where  he  embraced  me 
after  the  Eastern  fashion,  and  then  led  me  by  the 
hand  to  another  cushion  near  the  fire  opposite  his 
own,  all  the  while  welcoming  me  most  cordially  and 
inquiring  whether  I  had  received  every  comfort  and 
attention  by  the  way.  After  sitting  down,  I  rose 
again  as  I  had  been  instructed,  and  uttered  the  Allah- 
o -  Akabar  !  with  the  sweep  of  the  arms.  Then  sitting 
down  again,  Toorkee  fashion,  I  received  and  replied 
to  many  complimentary  speeches  from  the  Shagha 
wal. 

"  He  expressed  his  pleasure  at  the  arrival  of  an 
Englishman,  saying  that  they  know  the  friendship  of 
our  nation  for  the  Sultan  of  Room,  who  was  the 
chief  of  the  Mussulman  religion,  and  thus  regarded 
us  as  already  their  friends  also.  But  the  arrival  of 
an  English  Sahib,  who  has  undertaken  all  the  trouble 
and  difficulty  of  so  long  a  journey  for  the  purpose  of 
visiting  his  King,  was  a  further  bond  of  friendship. 
Friendship,  he  said,  makes  everything  to  prosper  ; 
but  by  enmities  countries  become  waste.  I  replied, 
suitably  I  hope,  saying  that  I  trusted  my  visit  might 
be  the  means  of  establishing  a  friendly  intercourse 


168  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

between  the  two  countiies,  as  wre  on  our  part  enter 
tained  the  most  amicable  feelings  toward  the  Toorks. 
I  added  that,  when  my  Sovereign  heard  of  the  kind 
treatment  extended  to  one  of  her  subjects  in  Toorkis- 
tan,  she  would  be  extremely  pleased.  After  this  the 
Shaghawal  said  he  must  apologize  for  my  detention 
at  Shahidoolla  and  for  the  incompleteness  of  the  re 
ception  I  had  met  with  ;  which  were  owing  to  my 
not  having  announced  my  coming  beforehand.  I 
stared  in  astonishment  at  this,  and  said,  "  Did  not 
my  servant,  the  Moonshee,  deliver  the  letter  and 
messages  to  the  King  with  which  he  was  charged  ? " 
The  Shaghawal  answered,  "No."  I  replied,  "  Then 
I  must  have  seemed  to  you  guilty  of  great  want  of 
respect  to  the  King,  in  not  applying  beforehand  for 
his  permission  to  come.  But  in  truth  that  was  the 
very  object  with  which  I  sent  my  Moonshee  on  be 
fore  me.  I  request  that  you  will  send  for  him,  and 
ask  him  for  the  casket  in  which  he  brought  my  let 
ter  for  the  King.  I  much  regret  the  apparent  want 
of  respect  on  my  part.'  He  answered,  i  No,  no ; 
there  is  no  want  of  respect ;  I  was  only  sorry  that 
you  should  have  been  detained  at  Shahidoolla,  arid 
that  we  had  not  longer  notice,  so  as  to  prepare  for 
you  a  more  honorable  reception.  As  for  the  Moon 
shee,  he  is  your  servant,  and  will  be  called  whenever 
you  send  for  him.' 

"  During  this  conversation  a  i  dastar-khan '  had 
been  spread,  and  tea  given  to  me  by  an  attendant. 
After  a  little  further  talk,  in  rather  lame  Persian  on 
my  part,  I  rose  to  go. 

"  The  Shaghawal  put  his  hand  on  me  to  detain 


RESIDENCE  IN  TARKAND  169 

me,  and  in  a  few  seconds  an  attendant  brought  in  a 
"  rich  silk  robe,  which  was  put  over  my  shoulders  as  I 
took  my  leave.  The  Shaghawal  also  rose,  and  con 
ducted  rne  out  by  another  door  through  a  long  room, 
which  I  heard  afterward  was  used  as  a  mosque  for 
the  royal  household.  At  the  farther  end  of  this  he 
parted  from  me  with  a  bow.  My  people  here  re 
joined  me.  In  solemn  procession  I  was  ushered  back 
to  my  house,  where  all  my  baggage  had  by  this  time 
arrived.  At  the  outer  gate  of  the  palace  we  met  a 
person  of  some  distinction  on  horseback.  He  imme 
diately  dismounted,  and  advanced  to  embrace  me. 
The  Yoozbashee  muttered  some  words  of  introduc 
tion,  and  I  threw  myself  into  his  arms  with  all  the 
fervor  of  a  long  friendship.  To  this  moment  I  have 
not  the  slightest  idea  as  to  who  he  was. 

"  Behind  me  followed  a  procession  of  the  Shag- 
hawal's  servants  bearing  the  '  dastar-khan '  which  had 
been  put  before  me.  This  appears  to  be  the  cus 
tom. 

"  On  reaching  home  I  immediately  sent  for  my 
Moonshee.  He  presently  appeared,  dressed  in  gor 
geous  robes,  the  gift  of  the  Shaghawal,  and  I  told 
him  to  send  for  the  casket  with  the  letter  at  once.  I 
had  enclosed  my  letter  to  the  King,  which  he  had 
brought  in  a  handsome  little  box  of  the  enamelled 
gold  which  is  known  as  Goojeratee  work.  This 
speedily  arrived,  and  I  put  it  into  the  hands  of  the 
Yoozbashee  without  opening  it,  requesting  him  to 
give  it  to  the  Shaghawal.  This  I  did  that  they 
might  read  the  letter  themselves,  and  see  that  I  had 

spoken  truth  when  I  said  I  had  sent  beforehand  to 
12 


170  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

ask  permission  of  the  King  to  come.  About  an  hour 
afterward  the  Yoozbashee  returned,  bringing  the  let 
ter  and  casket  back  with  a  message  from  the  Shag- 
hawal,  saying  that  I  should  keep  them  to  give  to  the 
King  myself  when  I  saw  him.  However,  they  had 
evidently  read  the  letter,  which  was  all  I  wanted. 

"  My  Moonshee  now  related  to  me  all  the  circum 
stances  of  his  journey  and  stay  at  Yarkand.  I  was  im 
mensely  vexed  at  his  not  having  delivered  my  letter, 
nor  apparently  mentioned  its  purport.  His  explana 
tion  was  such  as  to  silence  me  for  the  time,  but  I 
still  suspend  my  judgment  regarding  it.  Mohammed 
Nazzar,  the  returning  envoy  to  whose  care  I  had  en 
trusted  my  Moonshee,  had,  it  appears,  turned  out  a 
regular  scoundrel.  He  treated  Diwan  Bakhsh  very 
badly  on  the  journey,  and  after  their  arrival  spread 
reports  about  his  being  a  spy,  while  he  did  not  even 
mention  that  I  was  on  my  way  hither.  Yet  he  had 
been  full  of  promises  of  assistance  to  me  before  he 
left  Ladak,  when  I  gave  him  several  handsome  pres 
ents  to  secure  his  good-will.  My  Moonshee  was, 
however,  very  well  treated  by  the  Shaghawal,  who 
sent  to  meet  him  on  the  road,  and  caused  *  dastar- 
khans '  and  all  the  usual  honors  to  be  provided  for 
him,  and  Mohammed  Nazzar  had  fallen  into  dis 
grace  for  his  conduct  in  this  and  other  respects.  On 
arriving  at  Yarkand,  Diwan  Bakhsh  was  confined  to 
one  house,  he  and  his  servants,  although  otherwise 
provided  with  all  they  wanted,  and  presented  with 
honorary  allowances  every  day.  Seeing  this,  and 
fearing  that  men  would  be  sent  to  turn  me  back  on 
the  road  if  he  mentioned  my  approach,  he  remained 


RESIDENCE  IN  YARKAND  171 

silent  until  he  calculated  that  I  must  have  reached 
•Shahidoolla.  Then  he  announced  the  purpose  of  his 
visit. 

"  Even  put  in  this  way,  I  cannot  consider  this  con 
duct  judicious.  It  avoided  one  evil,  but  produced 
another.  The  long  concealment  must  have  seemed 
most  suspicious  to  them. 

"  I  now  began  establishing  myself  in  my  house. 
The  first  court-yard  contains  stables,  with  room  for 
ten  or  twelve  horses  (the  mangers  very  high  even  for 
a  large  animal).  Here  live  rny  pony  and  my  flock 
of  sheep.  Opposite  were  two  or  three  rooms,  which 
were  made  over  to  a  Panjabashee  (captain  of  fifty) 
and  his  lieutenant,  who  are  appointed  to  remain  in 
attendance  on  me.  Here,  also,  all  visitors  are  enter 
tained  while  their  arrival  is  announced  to  me.  There 
is  also  a  raised  and  roofed  floor  for  receiving  visitors 
in  the  summer. 

"  My  sitting-room  is  most  comfortable,  with  a  well- 
carpeted  floor,  a  spacious  fireplace,  just  like  a  Euro 
pean  one,  and  which  I  have  never  yet  known  to 
smoke.  The  walls  are  white,  and  the  ceiling  care 
fully  papered.  It  has  an  opening  for  light  covered 
with  the  likeness  of  a  cucumber  frame  (with  thin 
paper  instead  of  glass). 

u  Before  I  sat  down  to  dinner,  arrived  the  Yooz- 
bashee  again,  with  a  crowd  of  servants,  bringing 
furniture.  First,  a  table  (only  two  feet  high), 
painted  in  bright  colors  with  patterns.  Then  two 
high  straight-backed  arm-chairs,  of  which  the  seats 
were  on  a  level  with  the  table  !  Next  two  bedsteads, 
with  large,  thin  mattresses  lined  with  silk.  These 


172  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

were  for  sitting  on  in  the  da}7  as  well  as  for  sleeping 
on.  Every  one  of  these  pieces  of  furniture  had  been 
made  expressly  for  me,  as  none  of  them  are  known 
in  Yarkand.  The  Toorks  always  sit  on  carpets,  and 
sleep  on  wooden  shelves  or  on  mattresses  on  the  floor. 
The  Shaghawal  had  asked  the  Ilindostanees  in  his 
service  what  were  the  requirements  of  Englishmen, 
and  these  pieces  of  furniture  were  made  from  their 
descriptions.  The  comparative  height  of  the  table 
and  chairs  is  unfortunate,  but  luckily  my  American 
folding  camp-chair  is  exactly  the  right  height  for 
the  table.  The  tall  chairs  I  reserve  for  occasions  of 
ceremony,  seating  my  visitor  in  one  and  myself  in  the 
other.  When  these  things  had  been  displayed,  the 
Yoozbashee  produced  a  skull-cap  such  as  they  all 
wear  under  their  turban,  a  tall  velvet  cap  turned  up 
with  fur  (like  his  own  that  I  described  to  you),  an 
embroidered  silk  purse  or  pouch  of  peculiar  shape  to 
wear  at  the  girdle,  a  pair  of  high  boots,  and,  finally, 
a  long  robe  of  crimson  silk  thickly  wadded,  which  he 
said  the  Shaghawal  had  sent  for  me,  as  the  weather 
was  getting  cold.  There  was  a  considerateness  in  all 
this  that  made  me  feel  quite  friendly  toward  the  old 
Shaghawal  for  the  trouble  he  had  taken  to  find  out 
the  things  that  would  be  agreeable  to  me." 

On  the  10th  of  December  Shaw  had  another  talk 
with  the  Shaghawal,  which  we  quote  as  an  excellent 
specimen  of  Oriental  conversation  : 

"  lie  said,  'The  reason  why  we  have  not  sent  any 
envoy  to  the  English  is  that  we  are  ashamed  to  meet 
them,  on  account  of  the  murder  of  the  Englishman 
(Schlagintweit)  some  years  ago.  It  is  true  the  pres- 


RESIDENCE  IN  TARE  AND  173 

ent  rulers  had  nothing  to  do  with  that  murder,  which 
was  committed  by  a  madman,  who  was  then  in  au 
thority  ;  but  as  he  was  a  Toorkistanee,  we  feared 
the  guilt  might  be  imputed  to  the  present  rulers.' 

"  I  answered  that  we  knew  the  circumstances  of  the 
murder,  and  that  the  country  was  then  under  a  dif 
ferent  rule,  and  therefore  we  did  not  impute  guilt  to 
those  who  could  have  had  no  share  in  it.  I  further 
explained  that  Schlagintweit  was  not  an  Englishman, 
but  that,  nevertheless,  we  had  been  much  grieved  at 
hearing  of  his  murder,  because  he  had  gone  from 
India  to  the  place  of  his  death,  and  had  thus  been  a 
guest  of  ours.  I  added  that  it  would  be  considered 
a  great  favor  and  kindness  if  any  articles  that  had 
belonged  to  him  could  be  found  and  given  to  me  for 
his  friends. 

"  The  Shaghawal  said, £  The  time  elapsed  is  so  great 
that  there  is  no  chance  of  this,  and  in  a  matter  of 
shame  like  this  we  hope  to  have  the  whole  matter 
forgotten.' 

"  I  said,  *  That  is  best ;  let  us  on  both  sides  wipe 
away  all  recollections  of  it ;  we,  on  our  side,  en 
tertaining  no  ill  -  will  to  you  for  the  deeds  of  an 
other  ;  and  you,  on  your  part,  meeting  us  without 
shame.' 

"  He  laughed,  and  said, '  Good  ;  the  matter  is  wiped 
away  from  between  us.' 

"  I  said  to  him,  '  God  has  so  created  our  two  coun 
tries  that  we  seem  intended  for  mutual  friendship. 
He  has  placed  between  us  such  a  mountain  barrier 
that  neither  can  entertain  any  jealousy  or  fear  of  being 
attacked  by  the  other,  while  the  wants  of  each  coun- 


174  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

try  are  supplied  by  the  other,  and  thus  the  strongest 
incentive  is  offered  to  commerce.' 

"  He  cordially  agreed,  and  said  that,  when  hearts 
are  joined,  no  mountains  can  divide  ;  but  when  hearts 
are  not  in  unison,  mountains  arise  even  in  the  plains. 

"  I  said,  '  Although  I  have  not  been  sent  here  by 
our  rulers,  yet  their  mind,  and  the  mind  of  my  coun 
trymen,  is  known  to  me  :  and  I  hoped  to  let  the  King 
know  their  friendly  intentions  and  wishes.  My  re 
ception  as  a  private  Englishman  will  highly  gratify 
my  Sovereign,  as  showing  the  honor  in  which  our 
country  is  held.' 

"  He  said,  '  If  you  had  come  in  the  name  of  the 
Lord  Sahib,*  or  bringing  a  letter  from  him,  any  at 
tentions  we  might  show  you  would  be  thought  to  be 
given  to  him,  and  with  some  object  in  view.  But 
now  it  is  plain  to  all  men  that  we  bestow  honor  on 
you  for  your  own  sake,  and  out  of  pure  friendship  to 
your  nation.  As  you  are  friends  and  allies  of  the 
Sultan-i-Room  (who  is  the  chief  of  our  religion),  we 
already  felt  great  friendship  for  the  English  ;  and 
thus,  when  a  friend  came  and  shook  our  door,  we  at 
once  said,  "  Come  in."  As  for  the  attentions  paid  you, 
they  are  nothing,  and  we  are  only  ashamed  we  could 
not  do  more  for  you.' 

"  I  said  that  I  was  hoping  for  a  speedy  interview 
with  the  King,  and  hoped  to  be  the  means  of  estab 
lishing  great  friendship  between  the  two  countries. 

"  He  said,  '  If  you  want  to  go  on  quickly  to  Kash- 
gar,  I  will  write  and  get  the  King's  orders ;  but  it 
is  not  my  part  as  host  to  say  to  my  guest,  "  Move  on." 

*  The  Viceroy  of  India. 


RESIDENCE  IN  T ARK  AND  175 

However,  if  it  is  your  own  wish,  it  shall  be  done. 
As  host,  I  say  to  you,  "  Stay  and  rest  from  the  fa 
tigues  of  your  journey."  : 

"  I  said,  c  I  don't  feel  in  any  way  tired,  thanks  to 
the  comfort  in  which  I  have  been  brought  along,  and 
I  am  ready  at  any  moment,  by  day  or  night,  to  start 
on  a  visit  to  the  King.  I  shall  feel  no  fatigue  in 
anything  which  conduces  to  bring  me  before  him.' 

"  He  said,  '  Good  ;  I  will  get  his  orders  for  your 
journey.' ' 

The  same  day  the  Yoozbashee  left  Yarkand,  and 
Shaw  accidentally  discovered,  from  one  of  the  other 
officials,  that  he  had  gone  to  Kashgar,  to  see  the 
King.  This  was  a  promising  sign,  and  Shaw  would 
have  been  contented  to  wait,  but  for  his  irksome 
confinement  to  the  house  and  court-yard.  When  he 
made  application  to  be  allowed  to  ride  out  into  the 
country,  the  polite  answer  was  :  "  It  is  the  custom  in 
this  country  that  no  guest  goes  anywhere  out  of 
doors  before  seeing  the  King."  He  went  once  upon 
the  roof  of  the  house,  but  this  was  immediately  re 
ported,  and  he  prudently  refrained  from  going  again. 
His  servants,  however,  were  allowed  to  go  into  the 
bazaar  and  purchase  the  necessary  supplies. 

"  On  the  15th  one  of  the  officers  came  with  an 
English  letter  from  Hay  ward  to  the  King,  and  a  re 
quest  that  Shaw  would  translate  it.  He  accordingly 
put  it  into  Persian,  and  made  his  agent  write  it  out 
fairly.  The  latter  stated  that  Hay  ward  had  come 
8,000  miles  for  the  purpose  of  trading,  and  requested 
permission  to  enter  the  country  for  that  purpose. 
Reports  were  also  brought  to  Shaw  that  Hayward 


176  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

was  on  his  way  from  Shaliidoolla  to  Yarkand,  and  he 
was  closely  questioned  in  regard  to  the  latter's  char 
acter  and  purposes.  His  persistent  denial  of  any 
knowledge  of,  or  connection  with  him,  seemed  finally 
to  make  an  impression  upon  the  authorities. 

On  the  20th  Shaw  writes  :  "  This  morning  the 
Yoozbashee  came  to  say  that  the  Governor  was  ready 
to  receive  me,  and  whispered  to  my  servant  Jooma  : 
'The  gifts  may  be  brought  now.'  Nothing  was 
ready,  as  I  had  had  no  notice.  However,  I  got  to 
gether  in  a  great  hurry  a  rifle,  revolver,  pink  silk 
turban,  some  cloth,  and  one  hundred  and  twenty 
pounds  of  tea,  and  off  we  went  to  the  palace.  In 
presenting  my  gifts  to  the  Shaghawal,  I  said  I  hoped 
he  would  accept  them,  though  they  were  not  such  as 
I  should  have  wished  to  give  him,  had  my  caravan 
arrived.  He  seemed  very  much  pleased,  and  said 
that  I  should  not  have  given  them,  but  that,  as  I  had 
done  so,  he  accepted  them  with  great  pleasure. 

"He  then  said  he  had  written  to  the  King  to  an 
nounce  my  desire  to  go  to  him,  and  that  he  expected 
the  answer  in  a  day  or  two,  when  I  should  go  to 
Kashgar  and  tell  the  King  all  I  wished  to  say. 

"  I  said,  £  I  know  the  feelings  and  wishes  of  our 
nation  with  regard  to  you,  although  I  am  a  mer 
chant  ;  and  not  sent  by  the  Lord  Sahib,  who  could 
not  send  an  envoy  until  one  should  come  from  you.' 

"  He  answered,  '  We  have  not  sent  one  because  we 
were  ashamed  of  the  murder  of  Schlagintweit ;  but 
the  Lord  Sahib  was  not  ashamed  of  anything ;  why 
did  he  not  send  an  envoy  first  ? ' 

"  I  laughed,  and  said,  <  Well,  now  that  I  have  ex- 


RESIDENCE  IN  TARKAND  177 

plained  matters,  I  hope  there  will  be  a  constant  in- 
'  terchange  of  envoys,  and  of  all  good  offices  between 
us  and  yon.' 

"  He  replied,  '  As  for  seeing  the  King,  I  trust  the 
orders  will  come  in  a  few  days.  Formerly,  the  King 
used  to  transact  all  business  atYarkand;  but  now 
that  he  has  transferred  his  seat  of  government  to 
Kashgar,  I  believe  he  will  send  for  me  to  be  there 
with  him  also.  I  have  detained  Shaw  Sahib  at  Yar- 
kand,  that  I  might  make  his  acquaintance  and  friend 
ship  ;  for  if  he  had  gone  on  directly  to  Kashgar,  he 
would  have  forgotten  me  quickly.' 

"  I  answered,  i  There  is  no  fear  of  that,  after  your 
kindness  to  me  ;  and  I  am  delighted  to  hear  of  your 
coming  to  Kashgar,  as  I  shall  have  a  friend  there  to 
assist  me  by  his  advice.' 

"  He  said, 4 1  fear  my  going  will  be  rather  delayed, 
whereas  yours  will  probably  be  in  a  few  days.' ': 

As  Christmas  approached,  Shaw  ordered  his  ser 
vants  to  buy  a  joint  of  beef  in  the  bazaar.  There 
upon  he  received  a  long  and  ceremonious  message 
from  the  Governor,  to  the  effect  that  he  must  ask 
the  latter  for  all  he  wanted,  and  get  nothing  out  of 
the  city — that  he  had  heard  of  the  approaching  festi 
val,  and  would  supply  everything  himself.  Accord 
ingly,  on  Christmas  Day  twelve  men  appeared,  bring 
ing  an  enormous  '  dastar-khan,'  two  silk  robes,  and 
a  cap.  The  agent  also  brought  twenty  different  kinds 
of  bread  made  in  Yarkand.  In  the  evening  Shaw 
sent  the  Governor  a  gold  pencil-case  for  himself  and 
a  gold-enamelled  revolver  for  the  King,  and  received 
in  return  a  handsome  garnet  ring. 


178  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

On  the  29th,  Shaw  gave  a  dinner,  or  rather  break 
fast,  party  in  state — for  it  was  the  fast-month  of 
Ramazan,  during  which  no  good  Mussulman  touches 
food  until  after  sunset.  The  guests,  who  were  the 
Yoozbashee  and  three  or  four  other  officers,  arrived 
about  five  o'clock.  "  Before  breaking  the  fast,  it  is 
necessary  to  go  through  a  form  of  prayers.  Accord 
ingly  a  large  sheet  was  spread  on  the  carpets  (my 
table  had  been  taken  out  of  the  room),  and  the  Yooz 
bashee  began  the  call  to  prayers,  motioning  to  my 
Moonshee  to  take  the  front  place  as  *  Imam,'  or  leader 
of  the  devotions.  This  is  a  piece  of  politeness,  im 
plying  the  superiority  of  the  person  so  put  forward. 
The  others,  standing  behind,  take  their  time  from 
him.  Diwan  Bakhsh  accordingly  faced  toward  the 
Kiblah  and  went  through  the  usual  Mussulman  pray 
ers.  At  intervals  the  leader  utters  aloud  the  word 
Allah,  at  which  all  prostrate  themselves  with  their 
foreheads  to  the  ground.  Sometimes  he  repeats 
some  verses  of  the  Koran  in  a  low  voice,  but  the 
greater  part  of  the  time  there  is  silence,  each  man 
saying  his  prayers  within  himself,  kneeling  down 
and  rising  up  again  according  to  the  motions  of  the 
leader.  Meanwhile,  I  was  sitting  in  my  chair  by  the 
fire,  and  each  guest,  as  he  finished  his  prayers,  came 
and  sat  down  by  me. 

"When  all  were  ready,  some  white  table-cloths 
were  spread  on  the  ground  in  front  of  us,  and  I  left 
my  chair  and  seated  myself  Toorkee  fashion,  near  the 
fire.  Next  to  me  sat  the  Yoozbashee,  then  my  Moon 
shee,  Diwan  Bakhsh,  then  my  former  Mihmandar  of 
Shahidoolla,  who  has  just  arrived  here  with  Hay- 


RESIDENCE  IN  YARKAND  179 

ward.  Then  four  more  Panjabashees,  who  attend 
on  me,  so  forming  two  sides  of  a  square.  Before 
anything  else,  the  fast  was  ceremoniously  broken  by 
eating  a  piece  of  bread  dipped  in  salt.  I  gave  them 
a  kind  of  mixed  dinner ;  mainly  English  dishes,  but 
lots  of  their  own  to  fall  back  upon  in  case  of  neces 
sity.  I  luckily  had  a  few  tins  of  English  soup  left, 
after  which  came  pigeon-pie,  roast  fowls,  legs  of 
mutton,  etc.,  and  then  apple-tart  with  cream,  and 
plum-pudding.  But  they  evidently  relished  most  a 
huge  pillau  of  rice,  boiled  mutton,  and  sliced  carrots, 
which  seems  to  be  their  usual  dinner.  Finally,  a 
dessert  of  grapes,  melons,  apples,  pears,  pomegran 
ates,  etc.  At  this  the  Yoozbashee  exclaimed  to  the 
servants,  '  Halloh,  you  should  have  brought  this  in 
first ! '  I  could  not  get  him  to  use  a  knife  and  fork, 
but  he  consented  to  take  a  spoon  for  the  apple-tart. 
We  finished  up  with  tea  and  coffee.  The  latter  they 
did  not  know  and  would  not  drink." 

On  the  last  day  of  the  year  1868,  Shaw  received  a 
dinner  of  a  different  kind  from  any  that  had  been 
sent  before.  First  came  an  immense  vessel  of  real 
Irish  stew,  very  savory  and  good  ;  the  principal  vege 
table  it  contained  was  a  large  kind  of  "gram,"  like 
yellow  peas.  The  other  dish  was  a  large  sweet  ome 
lette,  with  molasses,  and  both  were  enough  to  have 
fed  twenty  men.  Afterward  came  a  smaller  bowl  of 
whipped  cream  and  eggs. 

"  No  sooner,"  he  writes,  "  had  1  finished  dinner 
than  in  came  the  band.  The  chief  musician  had  a 
kind  of  harpsichord  [dulcimer?],  like  a  miniature 
piano  without  any  keys,  played  with  a  pointed  instru- 


180  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

ment  in  the  right  hand,  while  the  left  hand  follows 
its  motions,  stopping  the  vibration  of  the  wires. 
Next  to  him  sat  a  man  with  a  long-necked  guitar, 
called  a  '  citar,'  played  with  a  bow  like  a  violoncello. 
It  has  nine  strings,  but  only  one  is  played  upon,  the 
rest  being  depressed  below  its  level,  and  helping  to 
swell  the  tone  of  the  instrument.  The  third  musi 
cian  blew  upon  a  sort  of  slender  fife,  while  the  other 
three  had  tamborines,  and  also  accompanied  the  mu 
sic  with  their  voices.  It  struck  me  that  their  play 
ing  was  much  superior  to  that  of  India,  and  even  of 
Cashmeer.  There  was  a  precision  about  it,  an  exac 
titude  of  time  and  tune,  which  showed  great  profi 
ciency.  You  will  say  I  am  no  good  judge  in  matters 
of  music,  and  I  confess  that  my  opinion  regarding  a 
new  opera  would  not  be  very  valuable.  But  I  think 
even  I  may  be  able  to  judge  of  Oriental  music. 

"There  was  one  extraordinary  creature,  the  first 
singer.  lie  had  thick  red  mustaches  hanging  down 
from  the  corners  of  his  mouth,  and  shaggy  eyebrows 
with  colorless  eyes.  His  jaw  was  shaped  much  like 
that  of  the  '  Wild  Boar  of  the  Ardennes,'  whom  Sir 
Walter  Scott  describes  in  '  Quentin  Durward.'  Al 
together  he  bore  a  most  grotesquely  ferocious  aspect, 
and  sang  with  hideous  contortions  of  the  face.  He 
is  just  the  kind  of  ogre  that  one  might  dream  of  in  a 
nightmare.  His  next-door  neighbor,  the  second 
singer,  was  a  signal  contrast — fat,  jolly,  peaceable- 
looking,  and  might  stand  for  one  of  the  sleek  citizens 
of  Liege  whom  Quentin  Durward  delivered  from  the 
Wild  Boar's  power.  The  requirements  of  the  music 
were  evidently  too  much  for  this  personage.  His 


RESIDENCE  IN  YARKAND  181 

fat  cheeks  shook  with  the  exertion  of  beating  the 
famborine  and  singing  up  to  time.  The  contrast  be 
tween  these  two  afforded  amusement  to  all  of  us ;  for 
I  had  a  select  party  assembled  to  hear  the  music." 

On  New  Year's  Day,  1869,  Shaw  wrote  :  "  The 
weather  here  is  beautifully  bright  and  clear,  although 
quite  cold  enough  to  suit  one's  ideas  of  the  season. 
To-day,  the  mean  temperature  of  the  air  has  been 
fifteen  degrees  Fahrenheit.  Water  freezes  the  mo 
ment  it  touches  the  ground,  and  all  articles  of  food 
become  as  hard  as  stone.  It  is  a  curious  illustration 
of  the  climate  of  Toorkistan,  that  grapes  grown  in 
the  villages  round  Yarkand  now  daily  appear  on  my 
table,  hard  frozen.  Yesterday  I  had  some  dipped 
into  hot  water  to  thaw,  but  as  they  lay  on  my  table 
near  a  bright  fire,  they  froze-  together  into  a  mass, 
owing  to  the  wetness  of  their  outside.  Cold  pie  has 
to  be  rebaked  before  it  can  be  cut.  Yet,  with  all 
this,  I  have  not  yet  for  one  moment  felt  even  chilly, 
such  is  the  dryness  and  stillness  of  the  air,  and  the 
warmth  of  the  long  Toorkee  robes,  or  '  jamas,'  which 
I  now  wear.  Besides,  we  have  been  acclimatized  by 
the  intense  cold  experienced  on  our  journey,  when 
wine  froze  into  blocks,  bursting  the  bottles,  so  that  I 
had  to  break  off  pieces  of  claret  to  put  into  my  glass, 
and  the  men  used  to  go  off  to  fetch  water  with  a 
hatchet  and  a  rope.  There  it  was  the  fierce  wind 
which  chilled  one's  bones.  By  contrast,  the  present 
still  cold  is  like  paradise. 

"  To-day  I  heard  an  anecdote  of  the  King,  which 
shows  the  energetic  nature  of  the  man,  and  his  dis 
regard  of  the  Oriental  notions  of  dignity.  The  rnes- 


182  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

senger  who  took  the  first  news  of  my  Moonshee's 
approach,  found  him  on  the  Artash  Pass,  beyond 
Kashgar,  personally  superintending  the  erection  of  a 
fort  to  defend  the  road.  He  was  covered  with  dust, 
and  had  just  had  his  leg  hurt  by  the  fall  of  a  stone. 
The  messenger  could  not  discover  which  was  the 
King,  but  the  latter  perceived  him,  and  called  to  him 
to  bring  his  despatches,  which  he  read  and  answered 
on  the  spot." 

By  this  time  it  was  evident,  from  Imits  dropped  by 
the  officials,  that  Shaw  would  be  received  by  the 
King,  and  would  therefore  be  sent  on  to  Kashgar. 
This  was  a  piece  of  good  fortune  which  he  could 
hardly  have  anticipated  on  leaving  Leh.  The  jour 
ney  would  enable  him  to  see  nearly  all  the  inhabited 
part  of  Central  Asia  lying  along  the  eastern  base  of 
the  great  mountain-chains  which  bound  all  this  re 
gion  on  the  south,  west,  and  north.  On  the  third 
day  of  January,  the  permission  came,  accompanied 
with  additional  tokens  of  kindness : 

"  This  morning,  before  I  had  breakfasted,"  he 
quotes  from  his  journal,  "  the  Yoozbashee  arrived 
with  a  large  packet  of  silks  and  brocades  for  me  to 
give  as  presents  to  the  King,  etc.,  according  to  an 
arrangement  which  we  came  to  yesterday.  Nomin 
ally,  these  things  are  merely  lent  to  me,  and  are  to 
be  replaced  by  my  own  things  when  they  arrive. 
After  showing  me  all  the  stuffs,  he  gave  me  the  wel 
come  news  that  I  was  to  start  for  Kashgar  to-mor 
row.  All  this  he  communicated  through  my  two 
attendants  who  talk  Persian.  After  this,  sending 
them  both  out  of  the  room,  he  produced  from  the 


RESIDENCE  IN  TARKAND  183 

breast  of  his  robe  a  packet  containing  eleven  lumps 
of  stamped  silver  (called  'kooroos '),  one  full-sized 
one,  and  ten  small  ones,  equal  in  value  to  another 
kooroos.  The  whole  is  worth  about  £35.  He  whis 
pered  to  me  to  put  them  away  out  of  sight,  and  that 
the  Governor  had  sent  them  to  me,  thinking  I  might 
be  in  want  of  ready  money  for  use.  Having  said 
this,  he  ran  away  with  his  usual  imitation  of  an  Eng 
lish  military  salute  which  I  have  taught  him.  I  am 
evidently  intended  to  suppose  that  this  is  a  private 
act  of  friendliness  on  the  part  of  the  Governor.  It 
is  very  thoughtful  on  their  part,  as  I  certainly  was 
in  want  of  ready  money.  They 'will  not  allow  me  to 
have  recourse  to  my  only  source  of  supply,  viz.,  the 
sale  of  the  goods  which  I  had  brought  for  that  pur 
pose.  I  should  have  seriously  felt  the  inconvenience, 
had  it  not  been  that  they  supply  me  with  every  sort 
of  food  in  quantities  sufficient  to  feed  a  troop  of  cav 
alry,  so  that  all  the  dervishes  of  Yarkand,  in  their 
tall  caps,  make  my  gate  a  daily  place  of  call,  and  the 
families,  friends,  and  horses  of  my  attendant  officers 
are  entirely  maintained  by  me.  Besides  this,  I  daily 
receive  about  seventeen  shillings  in  small  change  (50 
'  tanga  ').  I  have  not  yet  mentioned  that  the  chief 
money  of  Toorkistan  consists  of  small  copper  coins, 
with  a  square  hole  in  the  middle  [like  the  Chinese 
casJi].  Of  these,  25  make  one  tanga  (about  4<£),  and 
they  are  run  on  strings,  containing  20  tangas'  worth 
on  each  string.  These  strings  are  the  common  cur 
rency,  from  which  smaller  sums  are  detached  at  will. 
I  receive  two  strings  and  a  half  every  day  "  (about 
four  dollars). 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

THE  JOURNEY  TO   KASHGAR 

ON  the  morning  of  January  4th  a  handsome  gray 
horse  from  the  Governor's  stables  was  brought 
to  Shaw,  and  he  was  told  to  prepare  at  once  for  the 
journey  to  Kashgar.  All  his  servants  were  pro 
vided  with  horses,  and  there  were  others  for  the  bag 
gage,  making  twenty-seven  in  all,  besides  those  of  the 
Yoozbashee  and  his  attendants.  The  first  start  is  al 
ways  accompanied  by  many  delays,  and  they  did  not 
get  away  from  Yarkand  until  noon.  Shaw  must  be 
allowed,  as  far  as  space  will  permit,  to  describe  the 
journey  in  his  own  words : 

"  We  rode  along  part  of  one  side  of  the  new  city, 
and  the  whole  of  another  side.  I  thus  had  an  oppor 
tunity  of  inspecting  the  defences.  From  the  road 
there  slopes  up  a  small  glacis  to  the  brink  of  the 
ditch,  which  is  about  twenty  feet  deep,  and  of  equal 
width,  reveted  on  both  sides  with  sun-dried  bricks. 
The  escarpe  or  inner  side  rises  into  a  battlemented 
earthen  wall,  which  is  hidden  from  an  advancing 
enemy  by  the  glacis,  leaving  only  7nachicoulis  along 
the  top  visible,  from  which  musketry  fire  might  be 
directed  on  to  the  slope  of  the  glacis.  Inside  this 
wall  is  another  ditch,  from  which  rises  the  main  wall 
of  the  town.  Counting  from  the  crest  of  the  glacis, 


THE  JOURNEY  TO  KASHOAR  185 

the  main  wall  is  about  thirty-five  feet  high,  and  the 
same  in  thickness  at  the  level.  At  intervals  of  about 
sixty  yards  there  are  square  projections  to  afford  a 
flanking  fire,  while  at  the  corner  there  is  a  regular 
bastion,  surmounted  by  a  fort  two  or  three  stories 
high.  Near  the  gate  the  wall  is  immensely  strength 
ened,  being  (at  a  guess)  fifty  feet  thick  there.  An 
outwork  protects  the  gate,  being  connected  with  the 
wall  which  divides  the  two  ditches.  Through  this  a 
second  gate  (not  opposite  the  inner  one)  leads  out 
into  the  space  between  the  two  cities.  Pagoda-like 
buildings  rise  at  intervals  above  the  wall,  especially 
over  the  gateways. 

"  We  continued  our  march  westward — the  small 
mosques  constantly  met  with  along  the  road  form 
most  convenient  indicators  of  the  direction,  point 
ing  out  as  they  do  the  course  toward  Mecca,  which, 
in  Toorkistan,  is  made  very  slightly  south  of  west. 
They  use  a  small  compass  for  this  purpose,  with  an 
arm  pointing  west.  Some  three  miles  out,  we  halt 
ed  for  the  Yoozbashee,  and  then  proceeded  with  him 
through  a  thickly  peopled  country. 

"  However,  about  six  miles  from  Yarkand  we 
suddenly  entered  upon  a  tract  consisting  of  sand-hills 
covered  with  coarse  grass.  This  tract  we  crossed 
transversely  for  eight  miles,  but  its  width  straight 
across  must  be  much  less.  It  bears  the  appearance  of 
having  been  brought  down  by  some  large  flood  of 

O  O  */  c5 

water,  and  so  heaped  upon  the  fertile  plains.  In  the 
middle  we  crossed  a  wide  depression,  extending  ay 
far  as  we  could  see  right  and  left,  and  filled  with 

marshes  and  pools  of  water,  with  a  rivulet  connect- 
13 


186  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

ing  them.  Tin's  may  have  been  the  latest  channel  of 
the  torrent  which  brought  down  the  sand ;  as  we 
often  see,  when  a  stream  of  water  has  been  poured 
on  to  light  soil  of  any  kind,  it  carries  a  quantity  down 
with  it,  heaping  it  up  in  front  of  itself  and  at  its 
sides,  leaving,  when  it  dries,  a  raised  ridge  with  a 
depressed  channel  down  the  centre. 

"  Emerging  from  this  raised  sandy  country  we 
caine  out  upon  a  plain  sloping  upward  to  the  foot  of 
a  range  of  mountains  which  were  now  visible  (about 
twelve  miles  distant,  they  say,  to  the  west),  appar 
ently  running  north  and  south.  As  I  write  down 
this  distance  I  am  forcibly  struck  by  the  contrast  be 
tween  the  climate  of  this  country  and  of  India. 
For  it  is  twelve  miles  from  Ivangra  to  the  range  of 
the  outer  Himalaya,  and  at  Kangra  they  seem  to 
overhang  the  town.  Every  gorge  and  every  rock 
could  be  counted,  one  would  think,  so  distinctly  are 
the  forms  visible.  But  here,  at  a  distance  of  twelve 
miles,  the  Pamir  Mountains  appear  to  be  a  distant 
range,  of  which  the  outline  only  is  distinguishable.* 

"The  sloping  plain  at  their  foot  is  dotted  with 
villages,  more  sparsely,  however,  than  the  country 
round  Yarkand.  What  secrets  are  hid  among  those 
mountains,  which  so  few  European  eyes  have  ever 
looked  upon !  At  this  point  they  seem  scarcely  to 
deserve  their  appellation  of  Bam-i-doonia,  or  '  Tip 
per  Floor  of  the  World.1  A  lower  range  is  chiefly 
visible,  a  long,  almost  level  line,  while  the  giants  of 
the  range  rise  behind  it,  forming  in  appearance  a 

*  On  my  return  I  found  that  the  real  crest  of  the  range  is  very 
much  farther  back  than  twelve  miles. 


THE  JOURNEY  TO  KASHGAR  187 

higher  and  more  distant  chain.  The  Yoozbashee 
pointed  to  the  mountains  due  west,  and  said,  (  Be 
yond  these  lies  Badakhshan  ;  again,  a  little  more  to 
the  right,  Bokhara;  still  farther,  where  the  range 
disappears  in  the  distance,  is  the  road  to  my  own 
country,  Andijan ;  while  to  the  north,  where  no 
mountains  are  visible  from  here,  is  Russia  (Siberia).' 
I  learnt  from  him  that  the  King's  dominions  extend 
far  up  the  valleys  of  this  chain  to  the  confines  of 
Badakhshan ;  they  are  full  of  nomad  inhabitants, 
and  contain  many  villages.  The  only  name  which 
he  could  give  me  for  the  range  was  that  of  '  Kizil- 
tagh  ' — '  Ked  Mountain' — evidently  a  mere  local  ap 
pellation.  Orientals,  as  has  often  been  remarked, 
are  bad  at  generalization.  They  will  have  a  name 
for  every  part,  but  none  for  the  whole. 

"  Turning  north  northwest,  after  a  halt  for  prayers, 
we  rode  about  four  miles  farther  through  fields,  and 
then  were  met  by  the  Beg  of  Kokh-robat,  who,  after 
dismounting  and  taking  my  hand,  escorted  us  into 
the  large  village  of  that  name.  It  contains  two 
serais,  the  larger  of  which  was  full  of  two-humped 
camels  and  bales  of  merchandise.  In  the  court 
yard  of  the  houses  I  here  observed,  for  the  first  time, 
open  carts  used  in  field  work  by  the  country  people. 
I  forgot  to  mention  that  we  had  met  several '  arabahs  ' 
on  the  road,  with  three  or  four  horses  a  piece  (never 
more  than  one  wheeler,  all  the  rest  harnessed  abreast 
as  leaders,  and  driven  with  reins  from  the  cart). 
Passing  through  the  bazaar,  at  a  distance  of  a  few 
hundred  yards  farther,  we  entered  a  large  square 
surrounded  by  high  battlemented  walls  newly  built ; 


188  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

thence  into  a  second  large  court  containing  a  garden, 
and  having  a  range  of  buildings  at  one  side.  I  was 
shown  into  a  large  room  with  carpets  and  a  fire. 
My  agent  and  the  servants  were  equally  well  lodged. 
The  Yoozbashee  told  me  that  this  was  a  kind  of 
royal  rest-house,  built  by  the  present  King  for  his 
own  private  use  on  his  journeys.  There  are  similar 
ones  all  the  way  to  Kashgar.  They  are  called 
'  oorda.5 

"  Our  conversation  during  the  day  fell  upon  the 
subject  of  the  Governor.  He  has  the  reputation  of 
being  immensely  learned ;  my  own  acquaintance 
with  him  has  shown  me  that  he  takes  an  interest  in 
subjects  which  are  utterly  ignored  by  the  majority  of 
his  countrymen.  It  appears  that  he  was  formerly 
chief  secretary  to  the  Khan  of  Khokand.  His  fame 
has  been  great  ever  since  the  day  when  he  wrote 
such  a  letter  in  his  master's  name  to  the  Ameer  of 
Bokhara  that  none  of  the  moolahs  in  that  country 
could  understand  it!  This  seems  to  be  considered 
the  acme  of  learning  in  Central  Asia ;  the  fulness 
of  light  ends  in  darkness  !  When  first  my  agent 
reached  Yarkand  the  Governor  tested  him  in  the 
same  manner,  though,  I  presume,  with  less  severity, 
and  put  men  to  watch  whether  he  read  his  letters 
with  ease. 

"  The  next  day  our  course  lay  northwest,  through 
a  stony  desert  at  the  foot  of  the  mountains.  During 
part  of  the  way  we  had  a  jungle  of  low  scrub  on  our 
right,  which  is  said  to  reach  all  the  way  to  Aksoo, 
and  to  be  full  of  wild  beasts,  tigers,  etc.  About 
half-way  we  stopped  at  a  solitary  '  serai,'  with  a 


THE  JOURNEY  TO  KASHOAR  189 

mosque  and  two  wells  (nearly  one  hundred  feet 
deep).  This  had  all  been  built  by  the  present  King, 
who  seems  to  be  doing  a  great  deal  for  the  good  of 
the  country.  Several  arabahs  had  stopped  here  to 
feed  the  horses,  and  the  women  were  peeping  out  at 
the  stranger  and  his  party.  They  belonged  to  the 
better  classes,  and  were  extremely  fair-complexioned, 
but  with  black  hair.  They  reminded  me  of  Hubens's 
women  in  shape,  so  different  from  the  dark,  almond- 
eyed  beauties  of  India. 

"  Before  reaching  our  night's  resting  -  place  we 
came  upon  a  solitary  ruined  mosque,  and  a  dry  tank 
in  the  desert.  The  Yoozbashee  took  me  off  the  road 
to  see  them,  and  told  me  that  the  mosque  had  been 
first  put  there  by  Chenghiz  Khan  while  marching  to 
the  conquest  of  Toorkistan !  The  tank  was  such  as 
he  made  at  all  his  desert  halting-places.  Water  suf 
ficient  for  his  vast  hordes  was  carried  on  camels,  and 
when  they  encamped  a  tank  was  dug  and  filled  with 
this  water  for  the  use  of  the  men  and  cattle.  Such 
is  their  tradition.  They  say  also  that  he  had  a  tent 
large  enough  to  accommodate  ten  thousand  men,  and 
there  he  entertained  hosts  of  guests,  and  had  tea 
served  to  them  in  cups  made  of  precious  stones ! 

"  While  conversing  thus  we  came  upon  cultivated 
land,  and  presently  entered  the  large  village  of  Kizil. 
This  word  signifies  '  red,'  a  name  well  deserved  by 
the  color  of  the  soil.  My  surmise  that  there  must 
be  iron  in  it  was  speedily  verified  by  the  sight  of 
several  furnaces  for  smelting  the  ore. 

"  During  the  whole  day  there  was  a  bitter  wind 
from  the  north,  almost  directly  in  our  faces.  The 


190 


TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 


Yoozbashee  asked  me  whether  I  should  prefer  to  put 
up  in  the  royal  '  oorda,'  where  the  rooms  are  large 
and  cold,  or  in  a  house  in  the  little  town,  which 
would  be  warmer.  I  chose  the  latter,  as  I  would 


Kashgar  Camel. 

not  miss  the  opportunity  of  seeing  as  much  as  I  can 
of  the  people.  We  were  received  by  an  officer 
whose  features  at  once  struck  me  as  something  differ 
ent  from  the  regular  Toorkee  type.  He  had  a  long 
aquiline  nose  and  large  round  eyes,  while  his  features 
were  finer  and  his  face  less  fleshy.  Hearing  him 
outside  my  door  talking  nothing  but  Persian  as  he 


THE  JOURNEY  TO  KASHOAR  191 

gave  his  directions  for  procuring  all  he  wanted,  I  in- 
"quired  who  he  was.  They  told  me  he  was  a  Tajik 
from  Andijan,  one  of  the  race  akin  to  the  Persians, 
who  held  the  country  before  the  Tartar  invasion.  I 
was  very  anxious  to  have  a  talk  with  him,  as  the 
first  specimen  of  his  race  that  I  have  seen,  but  could 
not  get  hold  of  him  when  I  was  at  leisure. 

"  In  the  evening  the  village  boys  amused  them 
selves  by  sliding  on  the  frozen  tank,  as  in  England. 
Starting,  the  next  morning,  through  a  large  crowd 
of  the  inhabitants,  assembled  as  usual  to  witness  our 
departure,  we  travelled  still  northwest  through  a 
country  of  mixed  cultivation  and  waste  or  pasture. 
The  Yoozbashee  pointed  out  to  me  a  large  barrow  on 
the  rio-ht  side  of  the  road,  where  he  said  were  buried 

o 

the  Chinese  dead  who  fell  in  a  battle  that  took  place 

here  twelve  years  ae;o.     The  Mussulman  soldiers  of 

j 

Walle  Khan,  who  were  killed  on  the  same  occasion, 
are  buried  in  numerous  graves  on  the  left  of  the 
road.  One  of  our  party,  Sadoo  Khoja,  an  old  soldier 
.who  was  with  me  at  Shahidoolla,  had  been  present 
at  the  battle.  Walle  Khan  was  defeated,  and  fled  to 
Kashgar,  where  he  had  built  a  house  of  human 
skulls,  as  also  at  Yanghissar.  The  armies  are  said 
to  have  numbered  50,000  on  each  side  ;  but  part  of 
the  Chinese  were  stationed  at  places  nearer  Yarkand, 
and  I  cannot  make  out  the  actual  numbers  engaged. 
The  Chinese  were  all  infantry,  the  Andijanees  cav 
alry. 

"  The  mountains  continued  parallel  with  our  route, 
which  ran  about  northwest.  After  riding  not  quite 
three  tash  (say  fourteen  miles),  we  halted  at  a  village 


192  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

full  of  ironworks.  I  was  taken  to  a  house  where  the 
large  room  was  given  up  to  me,  the  family  retiring 
into  some  inner  apartments.  A  bustling,  good-hu 
mored  farmer's  wife  did  the  honors,  and  was  very 
grateful  to  me  for  interceding  with  the  Yoozhashee, 
who  wished  to  turn  her  whole  household  out  of  doors. 
A  few  presents  of  tea,  meat,  and  bread  (from  my 
dastar-khan)  were  received  with  numerous  Allaho- 
akabars,  and  a  return  present  of  a  melon.  Later  in 
the  day,  at  the  time  of  breaking  the  fast,  her  husband 
advanced,  bringing  me  a  basin  of  hot  macaroni  soup, 
while  she  brought  me  a  newly  baked  cake  of  bread  ; 
both  very  good  indeed.  Basins  of  soup  were  also 
given  to  my  Hindoo  servants,  who,  although  unable 
to  eat  of  it,  at  a  hint  from  me  took  the  basins  with  a 
bow,  and,  going  out,  handed  them  over  to  the  other 
servants.  The  household  arrangements  are  quite  as 
good  as  those  of  an  English  small  farmer  and  his 
family.  Neat  and  clean  earthenware  dishes  placed 
on  the  shelves ;  large,  well  made,  and  ornamented 
wardrobe  boxes — everything  comfortable  and  well- 
to-do.  The  entrance  is  through  a  regular  farm-yard, 
with  sheds  for  the  cattle  on  one  side  littered  down 
with  straw,  closed  stables  for  the  horses,  cocks,  and 
hens  strutting  about,  and  all  the  tillage  implements 
standing  up  in  corners.  The  hay  and  straw  are 
stacked  on  the  roofs,  while  a  door  leads  out  into  a 
walled  orchard.  To  make  the  scene  more  homelike, 
snow  is  lying  an  inch  or  two  deep  over  the  whole 
country,  and  the  roadside  pond  is  hard  frozen,  with 
village  boys  cutting  out  slides  on  it  in  their  hobnailed 
boots. 


THE  JOURNEY  TO  KASHGAR  193 

"  In  the  afternoon  I  went  a  little  way  down  the 
lane  to  see  an  iron-smelting  furnace  at  work.  It  is 
just  like  a  dice-box,  four  or  five  feet  high,  with  a 
roof  over  it,  leaving  an  exit  in  the  middle  for  the 
smoke.  Round  the  dice-box,  under  the  roof,  sit  six 
boys  and  girls  blowing  skin  bellows  with  each  hand 
—twelve  bellows  in  all.  An  opening  shows  the 
glowing  mass  with  a  stream  of  molten  stuff  slowly 
oozing  downward.  A  pit  two  feet  deep  showed  the 
bricked-up  door  of  the  furnace,  through  which  the 
metal  is  extracted  daily.  The  ore  is  broken  up  by 
a  man  with  a  hammer,  who  keeps  throwing  it  in  at 
the  chimney,  while  another  supplies  charcoal  through 
the  same  opening.  No  third  substance.  Twenty 
i  charaks' '  weight  (sixteen  pounds  each)  of  ore,  and 
the  same  quantity  of  charcoal,  are  used  in  the  twenty- 
four  hours,  and  the  produce  is  about  four  '  charaks ' 
of  iron.  The  metal  is  very  good  and  fine-grained, 
looking  almost  like  steel  when  made  up  into  tools. 
In  the  hill-districts  of  India,  where  magnetic  oxide  of 
iron  is  found,  the  process  is  almost  the  same  ;  but  the 
blast  is  much  less,  only  two  people  blowing  one  skin 
in  each  hand,  or  four  bellows  instead  of  twelve.  The 
molten  metal  also  is  taken  out  hot,  and  hammered, 
while  here,  in  Toorkistan,  it  is  allowed  to  cool  for  a 
whole  night  before  the  furnace  is  opened. 

"  In  the  afternoon  two  officers  of  the  Beg  of  Yang- 
hissar  were  brought  to  me  by  the  Yoozbashee.  They 
began  by  embracing  me,  and  said  they  had  been  sent 
to  welcome  me.  Presently  they  returned,  bringing  a 
dastar-khan  and  a  fine  sheep,  and  making  excuses  for 
not  offering  more,  as  nothing  could  be  got  in  this  vil- 


194  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

lage.  My  poor  Yoozbashee  is  quite  powerless  here, 
being  out  of  the  immediate  government  of  his  rela 
tive,  the  Governor.  He  could  hardly  get  anything 
for  himselfen,  evso  I  sent  him  half  a  sheep,  etc. — a 
strange  turning  of  the  tables. 

"  The  next  morning  (the  7th)  I  went  out  to  exam 
ine  the  neighboring  iron-smelting  furnace  which  had 
just  been  opened  in  order  to  take  out  the  pig  of  iron, 
the  result  of  yesterday's  smelting.  All  night  the 
furnace  had  been  allowed  to  cool,  and  about  eight 
o'clock  the  hearth  was  opened,  and  the  mass  of  metal, 
still  warm,  was  removed  from  the  bottom.  The 
hearth  slopes  toward  the  front,  where  it  terminates 
in  a  narrow  neck.  Before  being  charged  again,  it  is 
lined  with  some  sort  of  fire-clay.  The  furnace  itself 
is  wider  at  the  bottom,  slightly  diminishing  in  diam 
eter  as  it  ascends. 

"  Here  again  the  villagers  were  full  of  curiosity  re 
garding  my  habits.  They  asked  my  agent  whether 
I  did  not  get  tired  sitting  up  always  on  a  chair  ! 
They  are  much  struck,  too,  at  the  number  of  dishes 
and  plates  which  I  require  at  my  meals.  They  them 
selves  use  only  one  large  dish  between  four  or  five 
of  them  to  eat  from. 

"  I  started  with  my  party  from  the  farm-house,  and 
was  joined  by  the  Yoozbashee  and  his  followers  out 
side  of  the  village.  Hiding  still  in  a  direction  more 
west  than  north,  and  parallel  with  the  range  of  high 
mountains  on  our  left,  we  gradually  converged 
toward  the  long  low  edge  of  sand-hills  which  had 
been  dimly  visible  yesterday  to  our  right.  After 
passing  through  alternate  grassy  plains  (now  dry  and 


THE  JOURNEY  TO  KASHGAR  195 

withered-looking)  and  village  cultivation  for  two  tasb, 
we  halted  at  a  solitary  '  langar '  (or  rest-house)  on  the 
edge  of  the  sandy  track.  While  sitting  before  a  fire 
here,  we  were  joined  by  a  Mirza-bashee,  or  chief  of 
scribes,  who  had  been  sent  to  meet  me.  With  him 
we  rode  the  rest  of  the  way  to  Yang-hissar. 

"  First  we  crossed  transversely  the  lines  of  sand 
hills.  Their  ridges  much  resembled  the  waves  of  the 
sea  when  subsiding  after  a  storm,  as  they  come  roll 
ing  in  to  the  shore  in  long  lines  divided  by  broad 
spaces  of  almost  level  water.  There  was  the  same 
order  apparent  through  the  same  confusion,  and  the 
size  is  about  the  same.  These  hills  are  composed  of 
stratified  sand,  assuming  in  some  of  the  ridges  the 
consistency  of  stone  and  dipping  north.  The  spaces 
between  were  now  covered  with  withered  vegetation. 
After  riding  about  five  miles  slantingly  through  this 
tract,  we  came  to  the  fertile  banks  of  a  small  river 
which  had  cut  for  itself  a  gorge  through  the  hill. 
The  regular  bridge  was  broken,  but  we  crossed  on 
the  ice,  where  a  gang  of  laborers  were  employed  in 
strewing  earth  on  it  as  a  road  for  us.  They  had  also 
thrown  a  temporary  bridge  from  the  ice  to  the  shore 
across  a  space  where  the  current  had  not  allowed  the 
water  to  freeze.  Our  party  was  joined  by  the  officials 
in  charge  of  the  work. 

"  Ascending  the  high  bank  of  the  river  we  found 
ourselves  in  a  well-populated  district,  still,  however, 
traversed  by  the  low  ridges  of  sand.  Crossing  the 
last  of  these,  we  saw  at  our  feet  a  charming  landscape 
which  reminded  me  of  the  vale  of  Cashmere,  an  illu 
sion  supported  by  the  sight  of  the  snowy  mountains  be- 


196  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

hind  us  and  to  our  left.  As  far  as  the  eye  could  see, 
there  stretched  a  highly  cultivated  plain,  to  which  or 
chards  and  groves  of  trees  surrounding  the  numerous 
scattered  homesteads  gave  almost  the  appearance  of  a 
wood.  A  little  way  out  on  the  plain  the  orchards 
and  houses  crowded  more  thickly  together  pointed 
out  the  town  of  Yang-hissar.  We  reached  this  plain 
by  a  rapid  descent  of  about  fifty  yards,  and  then  rode 
through  a  country  resembling  the  suburbs  of  a  large 
city.  In  one  house  the  walls  were  ornamented  with 
drawings  of  steamers  and  railway  trains  !  Before  we 
entered  the  streets,  however,  we  turned  aside  to  the 
left,  and  rode  along  under  the  high  mud  walls  of  the 
old  town.  Leaving  this,  and  preceded  by  the  Mir- 
za-bashee  and  the  officials,  1  was  led  to  one  of  the 
royal  rest-houses,  consisting  as  usual  of  a  large  walled 
enclosure,  with  court-yards  and  ranges  of  good -sized 
rooms.  The  £  new  town,'  or  fort,  appeared  about  half 
a  mile  to  our  right  and  the  same  distance  from  the  old 
town.  In  dimensions  it  resembles  a  large  fort  rather 
than  a  town.  To  me  was  assigned  a  room  hand 
somely  carpeted,  with  large  cushion-mattresses,  cov 
ered  with  silk,  arranged  along  the  walls,  and  near  the 
fire,  for  myself  and  my  visitors  to  sit  on.  My  ser 
vants  and  the  agent  were  lodged  in  other  apartments 
of  the  same  building,  but  the  Yoozbashee  had  to  take 
up  his  quarters  in  a  neighboring  farm-house,  although 
there  was  plenty  of  room  for  him.  Apparently  it  is 
only  the  King's  guest  who  is  allowed  to  lodge  in  the 
royal  rest-house.  Our  acquaintance  of  yesterday  ush 
ered  in  a  large  dastar-khan,  sheep,  fowls,  etc.  I  hear 
that  he  is  one  of  the  King's  principal  i  masters  of  the 


THE  JOURNEY  TO  KA8HGAR  197 

ceremonies,'  sent  to  see  the  proper  etiquette  followed. 
At  the  Yoozbashee's  suggestion  I  gave  him  a  ;  kliilat,' 
or  robe,  and  another  as  to  the  secretary. 

"  In  the  afternoon  arrived  the  officer  to  whom  I 
had  given  a  present  on  the  first  night  after  leaving 
Yarkand.  I  afterward  learnt  he  was  a  relative  of 
the  King.  The  Yoozbashee  now  brought  him  to  pay 
me  a  visit.  He  said  he  had  gone  on  to  Yarkand  on 
some  business  to  the  Governor  in  connection  with  the 
issue  of  warm  clothing  to  the  troops.  The  Governor 
had  instructed  him  to  join  my  party,  and  accompany 
me  on,  unless  orders  came  from  the  King  for  me  to 
delay  at  Yang-hissar.  As  to  this,  my  agent  was  in 
the  afternoon  told  by  the  master  of  the  ceremonies 
that  he  had  received  orders  for  me  to  sleep  two 
nights  here,  and  go  on  the  next  day.  So  I  suppose  I 
shall  have  the  company  of  my  friend,  the  King's  rel 
ative,  during  the  rest  of  the  journey.  He  seems  a 
very  good  fellow,  as  hearty  and  good-humored  as  the 
Yoozbashee,  and,  as  I  told  him,  I  hope  to  improve 
in  my  Persian  by  having  him  to  talk  to. 

"The  same  afternoon,  while  strolling  about  the 
neighborhood,  I  happened  to  come  across  the  Yooz 
bashee's  temporary  dwelling-place,  and  saw  him 
standing  outside.  He  shouted  to  me  to  come, 
brought  me  in,  and  made  me  sit  down  by  the  fire  to 
drink  tea,  while  he  washed  his  face  and  arms  accord 
ing  to  rule,  and  said  his  evening  prayers.  In  the  in 
tervals  of  his  devotions,  after  turning  his  head  right 
and  left  to  salute  the  two  angels  who  are  supposed  to 
sit  on  each  shoulder  of  a  Mussulman,  he  interrupted 
himself  to  call  for  more  tea  and  more  sugar  for  Shaw 


198  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

Sahib,  and  then  continued  his  chant  of  '  Bismillah-ar- 
rahman-ar-raheem.'  He  made  me  stay  and  join  in 
his  meal ;  first  breaking  the  fast  by  dipping  a  finger 
in  a  cup  of  salt  and  water,  and  putting  it  to  his  mouth. 
Not  till  after  this  is  done  does  it  become  lawful  to  eat 
other  food.  He  gave  rne  a  bowl  of  soup  containing  lit 
tle  lumps  of  paste  tasting  like  macaroni.  He  was  very 
anxious  that  I  should  stay  to  join  in  the  great  pilao 
of  rice  and  mutton  that  was  preparing,  but  I  with 
difficulty  excused  myself,  saying  it  was  getting  dark, 
and  I  should  not  find  my  way  home. 

"  On  the  morning  of  the  8th  my  Moonshee  was 
visited  by  a  moollah  who  said  he  had  been  present 
when  Schlagintweit  was  killed.  He  came  before 
Walle  Khan,  who  was  then  besieging  the  Chinese 
new  town  or  fort  at  Kashgar.  Schlagintweit  asked 
how  long  he  had  been  so  engaged.  Walle  Khan  an 
swered,  '  Three  months.'  '  Oh,'  rejoined  Schlagint 
weit,  'my  countrymen  would  take  the  place  in  three 
days.  There  is  no  difficulty  at  all.'  '  Indeed,'  replied 
the  chief ;  and,  turning  round,  he  gave  orders  to  take 
the  Frank  out  and  cut  his  throat.  The  moollah  says 
that  Walle  Khan  was  a  regular  demon,  far  different 
from  the  present  King.  Schlagintweit  was  taken  to 
the  banks  of  the  Kashgar  River,  and  there  killed. 
In  his  pocket  were  found  a  compass  and  a  watch. 
The  executioner  offered  them  to  the  moollah,  who 
Bays  he  refused  them. 

"  My  servants  visited  the  town  during  the  day. 
From  gate  to  gate  it  is  over  eleven  hundred  paces 
long,  but  the  suburbs  outside  the  wall  double  the  size 
of  the  town.  It  was  the  weekly  market-day,  and 


THE  JOURNEY  TO  KASHGAR  199 

crowds  flocked  in  the  streets.  My  servants  found 
two  fellow-countrymen  (Hindoo  traders)  at  the  serai, 
and  described  with  much  laughter  a  long  row  of  bul 
locks'  carcases  that  were  hanging  just  opposite  their 
doors.  Travelling  subdues  prejudices  wonderfully; 
who  would  have  thought  of  Hindoos  making  a  joke 
of  such  a  circumstance  ! 

"  The  10th  of  January  we  remained  at  Yang-liis- 
sar,  and  I  took  a  long  walk  to  the  first  ridge  of  the 
low  hills.  These  hills  I  find  run  exactly  east  and 
west  here,  and  appear  parallel  to  the  range  of  snowy 
mountains.  I  measured  the  ice  of  a  tank  ;  it  was 
eio-ht  inches  thick !  In  the  afternoon  it  was  an- 

o 

nounced  that  we  should  march  next  morning.  Ac 
cordingly,  on  the  llth,  we  travelled  about  twenty-five 
miles,  as  far  as  the  village  of  Yepchang.  The  coun 
try  consists  alternately  of  village  lands  under  culture, 
and  of  grassy  plains  covered  with  cattle  and  horses. 
We  crossed  the  River  Koosoon  by  a  wooden  bridge 
at  a  narrow  spot ;  above  and  below  this  place  it  was 
about  fifty  or  sixty  yards  wide,  and  is  said  to  be  dan 
gerous  to  cross  on  account  of  quicksands.  Xow  it 
was  nearly  entirely  frozen  over.  En  route  we  met 
Mohammed  Isak  Jan,  the  brother  of  the  Governor  of 
Yarkand.  We  dismounted,  and  embraced  very  cor 
dially.  As  he  was  on  his  way  back  to  Yarkand  (hav 
ing  gone  to  Kashgar  since  I  have  been  on  the  road), 
I  gave  him  many  polite  messages  for  his  brother. 
About  two  o'clock  we  stopped  for  prayers  at  a  cot 
tage  where  they  could  get  warm  water  for  their  ab 
lutions.  There  was  a  child  four  or  five  years  old 
whom  the  Yoozbashee  amused  himself  by  frighten- 


200  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

ing,  making  faces  at  it,  and  clawing  at  it  \vitli  his 
gloves,  to  the  great  disturbance  of  its  mother.  Rid 
ing  on  again,  we  had  much  conversation.  lie  says 
the  pay  of  a  Yoozbashee  (captain  of  100)  is  300  til- 
lahs  a  year  (150Z.),  while  that  of  a  private  soldier 
(cavalry)  is  30  tillahs,  or  15Z.  Their  dress,  accoutre 
ments,  and  horses  are  all  given  to  them.  In  war 
time  the  pay  is  more  than  doubled.  lie  had  heard 
of  our  Abyssinian  war  five  months  ago,  but  asked 
the  Moonshee  whether  the  Abyssinians  were  Mussul 
mans  or  kafirs  (heathens).  He  also  related  to  me 
that  last  year  he  carried  to  Yarkand  the  news  of  the 
capture  of  Kooche,  which  is  twenty-eight  regular 
inarches  distant  (about  five  hundred  and  sixty  miles), 
and  he  accomplished  the  distance  in  three  days, 
changing  his  horse  twenty-eight  times.  From  the 
village  of  Yepchang  he  went  to  Yarkand  in  one  day 
(121  miles).  For  this  service  he  received  40  tillahs 
at  Yarkand =24/.,  and  on  his  return  to  the  King's 
camp  the  latter  gave  him  two  silver  yamboos  (worth 
34:1.).  Talking  of  riding,  he  remarked  that  my  Moon 
shee  carried  himself  in  a  peculiar  way,  while  I  rode 
in  the  same  fashion  as  himself  and  his  countrymen. 
The  Moonshee's  seat  is  of  course  that  of  Indian 
horsemen,  with  short  stirrups  and  reins  held  high. 
I  had  myself  noticed  that  the  Toorkee  seat  on  horse 
back  is  more  like  that  of  Englishmen. 

"Oh  reaching  Yepchang,  we  were  met  at  our 
night's  quarters  by  the  master  of  the  ceremonies, 
who  had  come  on  in  advance  to  prepare  everything 
for  us  as  usual.  lie  ushered  me  into  my  room,  and 
presently  returned  with  the  usual  dastar-khan.  His 


THE  JOURNEY  TO  KASHGAR  201 

manner  almost  proclaims  his  avocation.  Quiet  yet 
decided  in  his  movements,  and  handsomely  dressed, 
he  seems  by  a  glance  of  his  eye  to  put  everybody  in 
his  proper  place.  You  remember  Steerforth's  gen 
tlemanly  attendant  who  made  David  Copperfield  feel 
so  young.  My  master  of  ceremonies  is  a  second  edi 
tion  of  him. 

"  We  left  Yepchang  in  the  morning ;  the  master 
of  ceremonies  had  ridden  in  to  Kashgar  during  the 
night  to  announce  my  arrival.  He  met  us  again 
about  half-way.  We  passed  through  a  populous  and 
well-cultivated  country,  crossing  four  rivers  during 
the  day's  ride.  On  the  banks  of  the  last  stream  we 
stopped  for  the  afternoon  prayer.  The  fortress  or 
new  city  of  Kashgar  was  here  in  full  sight,  in  the 
midst  of  an  open  treeless  country,  covered,  however, 
with  cultivation.  The  defences,  as  we  approached, 
were  seen  to  be  exactly  similar  to  those  of  Yarkand 
New  City,  but  the  place  is  smaller.  Passing  several 
obtuse  angles  of  the  wall,  we  reached  a  gate  on  the 
E.N.E.  side,  before  which,  however,  we  were  met  by 
a  Yoozbashee  carrying  a  double-barrelled  rifle  of 
European  make.  He  arid  the  master  of  ceremonies 
preceded  us  in  through  the  gate,  past  a  corps  de 
garde  where  sat  rows  of  soldiers  (converted  Chinese), 
through  a  second  gate  to  the  right  past  more  rows  of 
soldiers,  and  into  a  third  gateway  giving  entrance 
into  the  New  City.  In  front  of  these  men  were 
ranged  their  arms,  consisting  of  huge  muskets  called 
4  taifoor,'  which  are  managed  by  four  men  a  piece. 
These  i  taifoor '  were  propped  up  in  front  on  a  forked 

rest,  while  their  butts  rested  on  the  ground.     At  the 
14 


202  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

third  portal  all  our  party  dismounted,  and  we  walked 
for  two  hundred  yards  through  a  broad  avenue, 
crowded  with  men  in  bright  -  colored  robes  —  all  ap 
parently  hangers-on  of  the  Court.  Through  these  a 
way  was  kept  clear  for  us  by  numerous  ushers  with 
white  wands,  one  of  whom  preceded  us  down  a  street 
to  the  right  to  the  house  assigned  to  me.  It  is  ap 
parently  a  new  building  with  numerous  large  court 
yards,  in  the  farthest  of  which  are  my  own  quarters. 
The  rooms  are  smaller  than  at  Yarkand,  but  to  make 
up  for  this,  there  is  a  large  covered  reception-place 
with  a  verandah  in  front  of  all.  Here  an  immense 
Khoten  carpet  is  spread  with  rugs  along  the  back. 

"  A  '  dastar-khan  '  was  immediately  brought  by  an 
officer,  and  I  was  asked  when  I  wished  to  visit  the 
King.  I  answered  that  I  should  wish  to  do  so  at 
once,  but  that,  if  it  were  proper  that  I  should  present 
my  gifts  at  my  first  visit,  they  could  not  be  unpacked 
and  got  ready  in  time.  They  replied  that  the  visit 
had  better  be  to-morrow,  then.  Afterward  they  pre 
sented  to  me  a  Mahram,  or  usher,  and  a  Dahbashee, 
or  captain  of  ten  (a  sergeant),  who  are  appointed  to 
remain  night  and  day  in  attendance.  The  Mahram 
deputed  for  this  office  is  the  son  of  the  former  Mus 
sulman  Governor  of  Kashgar,  under  the  Chinese. 

"  We  now  began  getting  together  the  gifts  which 
I  had  brought  for  the  King,  cleaning  and  putting  the 
things  in  order.  The  Yoozbashee  came  in  after 
dark  and  began  asking  me  what  I  proposed  to  give, 
so  I  sent  for  my  Hindoo  agent  to  bring  the  list. 
Meanwhile  the  Mahram  came  in  and  sat  down. 
When  the  list  was  brought  I  observed  that  the  Yooz- 


THE  JOURNEY  TO  KASHGAR  203 

bashce  would  hardly  listen  to  it,  but  turned  the  con 
versation,  saying  :  '  You  may  give  just  what  you  like 
to  the  King  ;  my  task  is  only  to  conduct  you  in 
safety  to  his  presence.'  When  the  Mahram  had  gone 
out,  the  Yoozbashee  told  us  in  a  low  voice  that  he 
could  not  say  anything  on  that  subject  in  the  for 
mer's  presence,  as  it  would  be  reported  that  he  was 
telling  the  guest  what  he  was  to  give  and  what  not 
to  give.  I  took  the  opportunity  of  asking  his  advice 
as  to  whether  I  should  give  a  separate  present  to  the 
King's  son.  Ascertaining  that  there  were  no  listen 
ers  outside,  he  replied,  'Don't  give  a  needle's  value 
to  anyone  but  the  King.  He  would  be  displeased  if 
you  did.' " 


CHAPTER  XV. 

DETENTION    AT    KASHGAR 

HPIIE    interview    with    Mohammed    Yakoob,    the 
1       Atalik-Ghazee    or   King,   took   place   January 
12th,  the  day  after  Shaw's  arrival.     We  give  his  ac 
count  of  it  entire : 

"  Early  this  morning  all  my  presents  for  the  King 
were  set  in  order  on  trays,  and  about  nine  o'clock 
various  ushers  and  officials  came  to  fetch  me.  I 
started,  escorted  by  the  Yoozbashee  who  met  me 
yesterday,  my  own  Yoozbashee  (whose  name,  by  the 
bye,  is  Mohammed  Yakoob  like  the  King's),  the 
Mahrambashee,  etc.,  and  followed  by  between  thirty 
and  forty  men  carrying  the  various  articles  forming 
my  '  nazar,'  or  gift.  From  my  door  to  the  entrance 
of  the  palace,  a  distance  of  a  quarter  of  a  mile,  a 
broad  avenue  had  been  formed  in  the  crowd,  whose 
bright  robes  of  various  colors  had  the  effect  of  a  liv-. 
ing  kaleidoscope.  Entering  the  gateway,  we  passed 
through  several  large  quadrangles,  whose  sides  were 
lined  with  ranks  upon  ranks  of  brilliantly  attired 
guards,  all  sitting  in  solemn  silence,  so  that  they 
seemed  to  form  part  of  the  architecture  of  the  build 
ings,  whose  want  of  height  would  otherwise  have 
given  them  a  mean  appearance.  Entire  rows  of 
these  men  were  clad  in  silken  robes,  and  many 


DETENTION  AT  KASHOAR  205 

seemed  to  be  of  high  rank  from  the  richness  of  their 
equipments.  Those  of  divers  tribes,  and  with 
strange  arms,  were  mixed  with  the  mass.  For  the 
first  time  I  saw  soldiers  armed  with  bows  and  carry 
ing  quivers  full  of  arrows.  They  were  Kalmuks. 
The  whole  effect  was  curious  and  novel.  The  num 
bers,  the  solemn  stillness,  and  the  gorgeous  coloring 
gave  a  sort  of  unreality  to  this  assemblage  of  thou 
sands.  In  the  innermost  court,  smaller  than  the 
rest,  only  a  few  select  attendants  were  seated.  Here 
none  entered  with  me  except  my  conductor,  the 
Yoozbashee  of  yesterday. 

"Approaching  a  kind  of  pavilion,  with  a  projecting 
verandah  roof,  elaborately  painted  in  arabesques,  I 
entered  a  side  door.  I  passed  through  a  small  ante 
chamber,  and  was  conducted  into  a  lar^e  audience 

*  £5 

chamber,  or  hall,  in  the  middle  of  which,  close  to  a 
window,  was  seated  a  solitary  individual,  whom  I  at 
once  knew  must  be  the  King.  I  advanced  alone,  and 
when  I  drew  near,  he  half  rose  on  his  knees  and  held 
out  both  hands  to  me.  I  grasped  them  in  the  usual 
Toorkee  manner,  and  at  his  invitation  sat  down  op 
posite  him.  Then,  as  is  the  custom,  I  rose  again  to 
ask  after  his  health  ;  he  would  not  let  me  do  so,  but 
motioned  to  me  to  sit,  drawing  me  nearer  to  himself. 
He  began  inquiring  after  my  health,  and  hoping  my 
journey  had  been  comfortably  performed,  to  which  I 
replied,  excusing  myself  for  my  bad  Persian,  which, 
however,  he  smilingly  declared  was  quite  comprehen 
sible.  Then  ensued  a  silence  of  about  a  minute,  each 
waiting  for  the  other  to  speak  (this  is  a  polite  eti 
quette).  Finally  he  commenced  again  by  a  remark 


206  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

about  the  weather  (English-like).  I  responded  and 
went  on  to  to  say  that  my  countrymen  had  heard  with 
the  greatest  pleasure  that  the  brothers  of  our  friends, 
the  Sultan  of  Room  and  his  people,  had  established 
a  kingdom  in  Toorkistan  in  place  of  the  Chinese,  with 
whom  we  had  already  had  three  wars.  For  myself  I 
said  that  the  Lord  Sahib  had  not  sent  me,  nor  en 
trusted  me  with  any  letter ;  but  I  had  come  of  my 
own  accord,  attracted  by  the  renown  of  his  name.  He 
nodded  and  muttered  assent  to  all  that  I  said,  and  then 
replied  that  he  had  been  delighted  when  he  heard  that 
Shaw  Sahib  was  approaching  his  dominions  with  a 
friendly  purpose.  As  for  the  Lord  Sahib  (the  Viceroy 
of  India),  he  was  very  great,  and  lie  himself  was  small 
in  comparison.  I  answered,  <  The  Viceroy  is  very 
great,  but  our  Queen,  his  mistress,  is  greater.'  At  this 
he  stared. 

"  I  continued  that  I  hoped  for  the  establishment 
of  friendship  between  our  nations,  and  that  between 
friends  there  was  no  question  of  greater  or  smaller. 
He  said,  '  And  you  yourself,  did  you  not  send  me  a 
letter  ? '  I  replied,  '  Yes  ;  I  sent  one  by  the  hand  of 
my  agent  to  Yarkand,  but  he  had  no  opportunity  of 
delivering  it  to  you  ;  therefore  I  have  now  presentee! 
it  with  my  gifts.'  I  then  said  that  I  had  brought  a 
few  specimens  of  English  rifles,  etc.,  for  him,  and 
hoped  he  would  accept  them  and  pardon  any  deficien 
cies.  He  laughed,  and  said,  £  What  need  is  there  of 
presents  between  you  and  me  ?  we  are  already  friends, 
and  your  safe  arrival  has  been  sufficient  satisfaction 
to  me.'  With  this  he  crooked  his  two  forefingers  to 
gether  to  typify  our  friendship.  I  said  that  1  hoped 


DETENTION  AT  KASHOAR  207 

to  have  some  farther  conversation  with  him,  but  that 
on  the  present  occasion  he  was  probably  not  at  leisure, 
and  there  was  also  no  interpreter  present  to  make  up 
for  my  deficiencies  in  Persian.  He  replied,  '  Between 
you  and  me  no  third  person  is  requisite ;  friendship 
requires  no  interpreter,'  and  he  stretched  his  hand 
over,  and  gave  mine  a  hearty  grasp.  Then  he  added, 
'  Now  enjoy  yourself  for  a  few  days,  and  see  all  the 
sights ;  consider  this  place  and  all  it  contains  as  your 
own,  and  on  the  third  day  we  will  have  another  talk ; 
you  shall  bring  your  agent  with  you,  and  talk  with  me 
for  an  hour ;  after  that  we  will  meet  oftener,  and  so 
our  friendship  will  be  increased.' 

"  Then  he  called  to  an  attendant,  who  brought  in 
a  pink  satin  robe,  and  the  King  dismissed  me  very 
graciously  after  the  robe  had  been  put  on  me.  I  re 
joined  my  conductor  at  the  gateway  of  the  inner 
court,  and  returned  home  through  the  same  brilliant 
assemblage.  At  each  successive  gateway  my  party 
was  swollen  by  the  accession  of  those  who  had  been 
left  behind  there  as  not  worthy  to  proceed  farther 
with  me.  On  reaching  my  own  door,  my  conductors 
left  me,  each  wishing  me  '  moobarak,'  or  i  happy,'  to 
which  I  returned  the  proper  answer  of  'koolligh,'  or 
'  your  servant.' 

"  Before  starting  for  this  visit,  I  had  been  much 
put  out  by  my  agent  not  being  allowed  to  accompany 
me.  The  officials  also  told  me  that,  whatever  I  had 
to  say  to  the  King,  I  must  say  now,  as  the  King  was 
very  great,  and  I  should  have  no  further  opportunity 
of  speaking  to  him.  I,  however,  determined  that  I 
would  not  attempt  this,  as  it  was  impossible  at  a 


208  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

first  visit  to  say  properly  all  that  I  wished  to  say, 
even  were  an  interpreter  provided.  I  therefore  re 
solved  only  to  request  a  further  interview,  and  as  you 
see  this  was  the  proper  course,  and  the  King  evi 
dently  expected  it.  Had  I  begun  a  long  discourse,  I 
should  not  have  made  myself  understood,  to  begin 
with,  and,  moreover,  should  have  trespassed  on  the 
etiquette  of  a  first  interview.  I  cannot  think  what  was 
the  reason  of  my  being  told  otherwise  by  the  officials. 

"  During  the  day,  we  began  to  perceive  many 
marks  of  neglect  on  the  part  of  those  who  were 
charged  with  our  entertainment.  Supplies  of  all 
kinds  were  either  not  to  be  got,  or  were  scantily  fur 
nished  to  the  servants,  after  much  asking.  No  offi 
cial  came  to  inquire  after  our  wants.  We  could  not 
help  comparing  this  treatment  with  that  of  the  Shag- 
hawal,  and  regretting  our  Yarkand  quarters.  Here 
we  were  all,  masters  and  men,  crowded  into  one 
court.  Then,  my  house  alone  consisted  of  three 
courts,  and  the  agent  and  his  servants  had  separate 
quarters.  I  was  also  annoyed  by  the  constant  run 
ning  to  and  fro  of  boys  and  servants  to  a  room  full 
of  stores  at  the  end  of  the  court.  There  was  no 
privacy  whatever. 

"At  last,  my  displeasure  culminated  when  I  saw 
one  of  my  servants  approaching  with  a  tray  full  of 
bread,  which  had  been  served  out  to  him  instead  of 
the  usual  l  dastar-khan,'  presented  by  the  proper  of 
ficial,  and  put  before  me  with  proper  ceremony.  Of 
course,  the  thing  was  a  mere  trifle  in  itself;  but  in 
the  East,  want  of  respect  is  a  precursor  of  danger.  I 
resolved  to  stop  it  if  I  could,  and  ordered  the  man  to 


DETENTION  AT  KASHQAR  209 

put  the  tray  down  outside  my  door,  and  to  tell  any 
one  that  asked  about  it  that  I  did  not  want  it.  My 
Yarkand  interpreted,  Jooma  (for  it  was  he),  stood 
aghast  at  the  order,  and  told  me  he  dared  not  do  it, 
as  it  would  be  considered  a  dreadful  insult  by  the 
King.  I  reassured  him,  and  made  him  do  as  I  said. 
Then  my  Moonshee  came  with  a  scared  face,  and 
begged  me  to  take  in  the  tray.  Jooma  went  away 
and  hid  himself  in  the  kitchen,  until  the  storm 
should  blow  over.  Soon  my  move  began  to  pro 
duce  its  effect.  Officials  went  and  came,  looking 
at  the  rejected  tray,  and  then  hastening  out.  At 
last  they  approached  and  carried  it  off.  Then  ar 
rived  the  '  Sirkar '  (or  comptroller  of  the  household), 
an  official  in  charge  of  all  the  royal  stores.  He  went 
and  sat  down  by  my  agent,  and  made  a  long  apology, 
saying  that  on  account  of  the  great  festival  of  the 
Eed  to-morrow  he  had  been  unable  to  pay  me  proper 
attention,  and  those  whose  duty  it  was  had  neglected 
their  charge.  Then  he  entered  my  room  and  spread 
the  cloth  himself  in  front  of  me,  putting  on  it  a 
number  of  trays  containing  fruits  and  preserves  of 
all  sorts,  brought  by  the  attendants  who  remained 
outside.  He  then  stood  with  folded  hands  until  I 
broke  and  ate  a  piece  of  bread  as  a  token  of  accept 
ance.  No  sooner  was  he  gone  than  the  bleating  of  a 
sheep  was  heard.  It  was  a  second  one  for  my  Moon 
shee,  one  having  been  given  me  in  the  morning  as 
usual.  Presently,  although  it  was  now  dark,  supplies 
of  all  sorts  came  pouring  in  in  profusion — loads  of 
wood,  bundles  of  hay,  rice,  corn,  in  fact,  all  that  had 
been  before  kept  back. 


210  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

"  After  dinner  the  Yoozbashee  came  in  and  begged 
me  not  to  be  angry  at  any  apparent  neglect ;  saying 
that  the  number  of  people  collected  for  the  festival 
created  the  greatest  confusion,  and  that,  if  the  King 
heard  of  any  misunderstanding,  it  would  cost  the 
lives  of  several  officials.  I  replied,  '  I  do  not  feel 
the  least  anger ;  on  the  contrary,  I  am  very  grateful 
to  the  King  for  all  his  kindness.'  He  said,  *  I  am 
only  speaking  about  the  future,  and  hope  you  will 
make  allowances  for  any  want  of  due  attention. 
After  further  conversation,  he  went  away,  but  I 
learnt  that  he  had  previously  spoken  his  mind  in 
strong  terms  to  the  culpable  officials,  telling  them 
that  he  had  not  brought  the  royal  guest  so  far,  with 
such  care,  merely  to  be  offended  by  their  gross  neg 
lect,  and  that  the  honors  bestowed  on  me  by  the 
King  were  not  to  be  made  of  no  avail  by  them. 
Later  in  the  evening  the  penitent  Sirkar  came  and 
sat  down  by  my  fire  for  a  talk,  begging  pardon  at 
the  same  time  for  the  intrusion.  I  told  him  I  was 
delighted  to  see  him  there  ;  and  now,  my  point  being 
gained,  I  was  all  smiles,  gave  him  tea  and  sweet 
meats,  and  dismissed  him  with  friendly  words. 

"  So  ended  my  first  and,  I  hope,  my  last  encounter 
with  the  Atalik-Ghazee's*  servants.  I  have  come  to 
the  conclusion  that  the  King  had  given  orders  for 
every  attention  to  be  paid  to  us  ;  but  being  engrossed 
by  state  affairs,  he  is  not  able  to  bestow  that  atten 
tion  on  details  which  the  Governor  does.  Greedy 
officials  are  thus  enabled  to  intercept  for  their  own 

*  Atalik-Gliazee  is  the  title  assumed  by  the  King  Yakoob  Beg. 
It  means  Tutor  or  Leader  of  the  Champions  of  the  Faith. 


KING   YAKOOB   BEG. 


DETENTION  AT  KASHGAR  211 

benefit  the  favors  intended  for  the  guest.  Another 
explanation,  however,  may  be  the  true  one.  The 
Shaghawal  may  have  exceeded  the  measure  of  honor 
and  attention  ordered  to  be  paid  to  me  by  the  King. 
Ambitious  aims  or  the  desire  to  secure  a  friendly 
place  of  refuge  in  case  of  necessity,  may  have  induced 
him  to  exhibit  his  own  especial  regard  for  the  English. 
But  this  still  leaves  the  fact  unexplained  that  my  pub 
lic  reception  here  is  conducted  with  more  eclat  than 
it  was  at  Yarkand,  while  in  private  matters,  to  which 
the  King's  eye  cannot  reach,  my  comfort  is  less  con 
sulted." 

The  next  day  Shaw  began  to  reap  the  fruits  of  his 
victory.  Everything  was  supplied  in  abundance,  and 
twice  in  the  day  a  hot  dish  (the  first  of  macaroni  soup, 
the  second  of  mutton  and  rice)  was  brought  to  him 
from  the  royal  kitchen.  In  the  morning  a  present  of 
half  a  dozen  pheasants  and  wild  duck  arrived  from 
the  King.  In  every  other  respect,  however,  Shaw 
was  restricted,  and,  under  the  circumstances,  he  did 
not  venture  to  make  any  protest.  On  the  14th  he 
writes : 

"  I  am  settling  down  into  the  former  prison  life  that 
I  led  at  Yarkand.  Although  the  King  told  me  to  go 
about  and  amuse  myself,  yet  I  am  half  afraid  that  it 
was  only  a  figure  of  speech,  and  at  any  rate  it  is  wiser 
not  to  excite  suspicion  by  being  too  anxious  to  take 
advantage  of  the  permission.  But  you  can  fancy  that 
it  is  rather  difficult  to  get  through  the  day  without 
books  (for  all  mine  I  have  read  through  a  hundred 
times).  The  talk  of  my  Guddees  is  amusing ;  Choom- 
aroo,  especially,  has  a  hundred  anecdotes  to  relate, 


212  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

with  shrewd  remarks  on  every  occurrence.  Every 
one  that  goes  out  brings  in  some  news  of  the  outer 
world,  which  he  contributes  to  the  common  stock  of 
conversation.  The  discovery  of  a  new  row  of  shops, 
or  of  a  fresh  gateway,  furnishes  talk  for  an  hour, 
while  a  meeting  with  one  of  the  Indian  sepoys  who 
have  taken  service  here,  is  hailed  like  the  periodical 
arrival  of  the  mail  steamer  in  some  dull  colony.  We 
linger  reluctantly  over  each  topic  ;  we  wring  out  of  it 
each  drop  of  subject-matter  which  it  will  afford.  We 
return  to  it  again  and  again,  like  a  dog  to  a  bone 
which  he  has  already  gnawed  clean.  Meanwhile  I 
pace  up  and  down  the  verandah,  the  only  exercise 
that  I  can  obtain.  At  any  sign  of  animated  conver 
sation,  a  raised  voice,  or  a  laugh,  half  a  dozen  faces 
peer  out  of  as  many  doors  all  round  the  court,  like 
marmots  at  their  holes.  To  the  Mussulmans  their 
devotions  are  a  great  resource.  The  washings  of 
face,  arms,  hands,  and  feet,  the  undressing  to  do  this, 
and  the  dressing  again  afterward,  the  spreading  a  cloth 
to  prostrate  themselves  on,  and,  finally,  the  varied  pos- 

,  tures  required  during  the  prayers — all  these  help  to 

*  pass  the  time." 

The  next  day  he  received  a  message  to  the  effect 
that  the  King  had  inquired  very  kindly  after  him, 
and  had  said  :  "  Go  and  tell  Shaw  Sahib  that  I  am 
loaded  with  business  at  present,  but  hope,  in  a  day 
or  two,  to  have  time  for  a  long  talk  with  him.  Tell 
him  not  to  be  impatient  at  the  delay,  for  I  look 
upon  him  in  the  light  of  a  friend."  Shaw  sent  back 
word  that  he  was  much  obliged  to  the  King  for  put 
ting  off  their  interview  until  the  latter  had  more 


DETENTION  AT  KASHQAR  213 

time,  as  what  he  wished  to  say  could  not  be  said  in  a 
"hurry.  He  added  that  he  was  ready  to  wait  any  num 
ber  of  days,  so  that  in  the  end  there  might  be  full 
leisure  for  all  his  business. 

Shaw's  subsequent  experience  showed  him  that  his 
answer  was  accepted  literally,  and  with  all  the  Orien 
tal  disregard  of  time.  We  quote  from  his  journal, 
January  20th  :  "  During  the  visit  of  the  Yoozba- 
shee  and  the  master  of  ceremonies,  the  hot  dishes  ar 
rived  from  the  King's  kitchen.  I  invited  the  guests 
to  join  us,  and  we  made  an  impromptu  meal,  d  la 
Toorkee.  The  three  commenced  operations  on  the 
huge  dish  with  their  fingers,  while  I  sat  on  my  chair, 
and  used  a  separate  plate  and  knife  and  fork,  to  their 
great  admiration.  Their  delight  is  to  use  one  of  my 
spoons  to  stir  their  tea  with.  When  they  had  finished, 
I  had  some  grapes  put  before  them,  but  they  raised 
cries  of  horror,  saying,  *  How  can  we  eat  them  now, 
after  meat  ? J  They  seemed  as  much  astonished  as 
English  people  would  be  were  the  soup  served  after 
dessert.  I  explained  our  custom  in  this  respect,  but 
they  thought  it  quite  barbarous.  They  explained 
their  theory  on  the  subject.  Put  into  European  phrase 
ology,  it  was  this  :  that  eating  meat  before  fruit  was 
like  sending  a  heavy  goods  train  down  a  line  in  front 
of  a  fast  express :  the  fruit  being  more  quickly  di 
gestible  than  the  meat,  and  therefore  proper  to  be 
eaten  first. 

"  Hitherto  the  servants  have  been  allowed  to  go 
out  of  doors  at  will.  To-day  most  of  them  were 
turned  back,  and  told  to  stay  within  the  four  walls. 
My  agent  asked  me  the  story  of  the  prisoners  in  Abys- 


214  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

sinia,  apparently  considering  ours  a  parallel  case.  I 
cannot  say  that  we  feel  much  anxiety,  however, 
though  this  kind  of  imprisonment  is  annoying,  as 
well  as  ridiculous. 

"  I  learn  that  the  price  of  cotton  here  is  about  one 
tanga  per  jing,  or  three  tangas  for  four  pounds, 
which  equals  3d.  per  pound ! 

"  Wednesday,  January  20th. — For  several  days 
past  the  Yoozbashee  has  not  come  to  see  me.  To 
day  I  sent  to  inquire  after  him,  and  he  sent  me  back 
many  salaams,  with  a  message,  saying  that  he  was 
most  desirous  of  visiting  me,  but  these  rascals  (mean 
ing  the  King's  officers  in  attendance)  kept  such  a 
watch  on  him  that  he  was  afraid  to  come. 

"  January  22d. — This  morning  the  Governor  ar 
rived  from  Yarkand.  lie  was  received,  as  I  was,  by 
soldiers  lining  the  gateways  and  approaches,  and 
went  to  pay  his  respects  to  the  King  at  once.  At  the 
same  time  he  presented  a  nazar,  or  gift,  consisting  of 
one  hundred  <  koors '  of  silver  (£1,700),  and  thirty 
horses,  mounted  by  as  many  slaves,  fully  armed  and 
equipped  from  head  to  foot,  with  four  changes  of 
clothing  a-piece.  Besides  these,  there  were  numer 
ous  minor  gifts.  He  himself  rode  a  splendid  horse, 
with  housings  mounted  with  turquoises,  and  saddle 
cloth  of  gold  brocade.  The  Yoozbashee  rode  out  as 
far  as  Yepchang  to  meet  him,  and  came  to  see  me 
about  one  o'clock,  after  being  dismissed  by  the  King. 
He  said  he  was  famished,  having  started  long  before 
daybreak  without  any  food.  I  made  him  stop  and 
join  me  in  a  huge  pilau,  a  great  part  of  which  he  de 
voured. 


DETENTION  AT  KASHGAR  215 

"  The  Governor  sent  me  many  kind  messages  of 
inquiry,  and  said  he  had  heard  how  tired  I  was  of 
confinement  (for  yesterday,  sick  of  this  life,  I  had 
poured  forth  my  complaints  into  the  sympathizing 
ears  of  the  Yoozbashee,  who  tried  to  pacify  me  by 
saying  that  I  was  too  great  a  man  to  go  about  the 
place  like  a  common  person  ;  but  at  the  same  time  he 
evidently  thought  my  desire  for  a  little  open  air  only 
reasonable).  The  Governor  told  me  to  have  patience 
for  a  little  longer,  that  everything  should  be  arranged 
to  my  satisfaction,  and  I  should  go  back  with  him 
to  Yarkand,  when  he  returned.  The  Yoozbashee 
affects  mystery,  and  does  not  mention  the  Govern 
or's  name  when  the  other  attendants  are  present. 
Whether  the  Governor's  friendliness  toward  me  is 
in  excess  of  the  King's  orders  and  concealed  from  his 
knowledge,  I  know  not ;  but  he  evidently  wants  me 
to  believe  so. 

"  I  have  had  some  Indian  dumb-bells  made  to  pass 
the  time  with.  To-day  the  Yoozbashee  saw  them, 
and  asked  their  use.  He  was  much  pleased  with  the 
exercise  they  afford,  and  said  it  was  fine  training  for 
the  arms.  He  tried  them  himself,  in  imitation  of  me, 
but  never  having  handled  them  before,  of  course  could 
not  keep  up  the  play  long.  I  then  showed  him  some 
other  tricks  and  exercises,  such  as  rising  from  the 
ground  on  one  leg,  without  help  from  the  other,  etc. 
He  tried  them  all,  and  showed  great  activity  in  these 
novel  amusements. 

"  He  says  they  have  earthquakes  at  Yarkand  and 
Kashgar  two  or  three  times  a  year ;  but  last  year,  at 
Yepchang,  for  eight  months  together,  there  were 


216  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

shocks  two  or  three  times  a  day.  All  the  houses 
were  shaken  to  pieces,  and  have  had  to  be  rebuilt. 
The  shocks  did  not  extend  beyond  the  immediate 
neighborhood  of  the  village." 

Shaw's  account  of  his  life  in  Kashgar  is  given  in 
the  form  of  a  journal.  The  entries  of  many  days 
are  simply  notes  of  what  occurred  in  his  household, 
and  are  of  no  general  interest.  We  will  therefore 
only  take  such  particulars  as  relate  to  his  intercourse 
with  the  King  and  the  chief  authorities,  or  which 
give  some  information  concerning  the  country  and  its 
people.  On  January  29th,  he  says:  "My  Thibetan 
servant  Jooma  has  confirmed  an  opinion  which  has 
been  strengthening  in  my  mind  ever  since  I  have 
been  in  Toorkistan.  He  declares  that  until  this  year, 
the  people  of  this  country,  and  its  rulers,  had  no  idea 
of  the  British  dominion  in  India.  The  name  of  Frank 
was  not  even  mentioned,  except  as  belonging  to  a 
people  who  had  been  fighting  with  the  Chinese,  and 
who  had  some  possessions  far  away  in  the  south. 
The  Maharaja  of  Cashmere  was  the  great  potentate 
whom  they  heard  of  on  their  borders.  Every  trader 
who  came  from  Ladak  was  reckoned  a  Cashmere 
subject,  and  was  put  under  the  authority  of  the  Cash-, 
mere  Akskal,  or  consul,  Ahmed  Shah.  The  Indian 
merchants  dared  not  give  any  other  account  of  them 
selves,  partly  from  fear  of  the  Yarkand  authorities, 
who  might  have  detained  them,  but  chiefly  on  ac 
count  of  the  Cashmere  authorities,  by  whose  favor 
alone  they  had  access  to  the  Ladak  market.  The  re 
duction  of  duties  last  year  at  Ladak  was  such  an 
unusual  thing  for  a  native  sovereign  that  it  attracted 


DETENTION  AT  KASHOAR  217 

attention,  and  it  was  rumored  that  the  English  had  ta 
ken  Thibet.  My  arrival  this  year,  and  afterward  that 
of  Hay  ward,  and  the  accounts  given  regarding  the  Ma- 
araja  by  myself  and  my  servants,  who  are  under  no  re 
straints,  have  convinced  the  authorities  here  that  the 
English  power  is  paramount  in  India.  Until  last  year, 
they  do  not  seem  to  have  known  of  its  existence  there, 
but  sent  an  envoy  to  the  Maharaja  of  "Cashmere  and 
Delhi."  So  new  is  the  notion  to  them  that  they  now 
call  all  British  subjects  Franks.  The  mistakes  occa 
sioned  by  this  are  amusing.  First  came  the  original 
report  that  jive  Franks  had  reached  Shahidoolla, 
when  I  and  four  Indian  servants  arrived  there. 

"  A  few  days  ago  the  Sirkar  came  officially  to  tell 
me  that  another  Frank  (politely  rendered  by  'Sa 
hib  ')  was  approaching  Kashgar  with  Mohammed 
Nazzar,  and  the  King  wished  to  know  whether  I  was 
aware  of  his  business,  or  the  purpose  of  his  coming. 
I  said  that  I  only  knew  of  Hayward,  and  did  not 
even  know  a  third  Sahib  had  come  into  the  country. 
The  next  day  the  Sirkar  came  back  to  explain  the 
mistake.  The  Frank,  he  said,  was  not  an  '  Inglish,' 
like  myself,  but  a  Mussulman  ;  in  fact,  it  was  my 
friend,  the  old  mutineer.  A  day  or  two  after,  the 
Governor  of  Yarkand  arrived.  News  was  brought 
in  that  Hayward  Sahib  had  arrived,  also,  that  day. 
He  had  been  received  by  the  King,  and  his  lodging 
was  appointed  in  a  house  outside  the  walls.  Next 
day  came  the  further  reports  of  his  sayings  and  do 
ings.  He  had  said  to  the  King,  <  Why  do  you  bring 
in  your  water  for  this  fortress  under  the  wall  ?  I 
can  bring  it  in  over  the  wall.'  They  also  said  that 
15 


218  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

he  was  quite  an  old  man.  This  puzzled  us  ;  but  we 
came  to  the  conclusion  that  the  color  of  Hay  ward's 
beard,  being  light,  had  been  mistaken  for  the  gray- 
ness  of  age,  as  I  have  several  times  known  to  be  done 
in  India.  A  couple  of  days  afterward,  Jooma  in 
quired  for  the  officer  who  is  in  attendance  on  Hay- 
ward,  and  then  it  came  out  that  neither  he  nor  Hay- 
ward  had  left  Yarkand." 

During  the  greater  part  of  February,  Shaw's  prin 
cipal  occupation  consisted  in  trying  to  distil  some 
authentic  news  out  of  the  rumors  and  stories  which 
those  of  his  servants  picked  up  who  were  allowed  to 
frequent  the  bazaars.  He  was  by  this  time  satisfied 
that  his  own  imprisonment  (as  it  really  was)  indi 
cated  the  intention  of  the  King  to  send  him  back  to 
Leh ;  since,  if  his  death  had  been  resolved  upon, 
there  could  have  been  no  objection  to  his  temporary 
liberty.  One  of  his  servants,  Sarda,  met  a  native 
official,  who  stated  to  him  that  the  King  was  much 
pleased  with  the  Englishman's  visit.  He  said  that  it 
was  a  most  unusual  mark  of  favor  for  the  King  to 
keep  a  stranger  so  long  near  him  ;  the  most  were  sent 
away  after  two  or  three  days.  Sarda  remarked  that 
Shaw  was  annoyed  at  being  kept  so  long  in  the 
house ;  whereupon  the  official  replied :  "  The  Sahib 
must  not  think  anything  of  that ;  it  is  the  custom  of 
the  country,  and  is  universally  practised  with  strange 
visitors  ;  they  are  never  allowed  to  go  about  at  will, 
and  even  so  are  rarely  permitted  to  stay  more  than  a 
day  or  two  at  the  King's  headquarters." 

On  February  25th,  Shaw  says  :  "  The  other  day 
our  horses  broke  loose,  and  made  their  way  up  the 


DETENTION  AT  KASHOAR  219 

ramparts  on  to  the  wall  of  the  fortress.  They  were 
caught  after  making  half  the  circuit  of  the  town.  I 
pretended  astonishment  at  their  not  falling  over,  and 
thus  got  a  description  of  the  wall  from  the  Yoozba- 
shee.  He  paced  out  a  distance  which  on  measure 
ment  proved  to  be  twelve  feet,  and  said :  '  The  wall 
has  a  roadway  on  the  top  of  that  width  ;  on  both 
sides  are  battlements  nearly  a  man's  height.'  This 
would  make  the  total  thickness  of  the  top  about  six 
teen  feet.  As  the  wall  is  nearly  forty  feet  high  (as 
far  as  I  can  judge  from  seeing  it  twenty  yards  off), 
and  slopes  inward  on  both  sides  from  the  basement, 
the  width  at  bottom  must  be  over  twenty  feet.  Near 
the  gateway  it  is  much  thicker. 

"  To-day  there  is  a  little  news  to  write.  First  came 
the  Sirkar  with  a  present  from  the  King,  consisting 
of  a  chest  full  of  pears  from  Kooche.  We  had  some 
talk  about  my  departure.  I  impressed  on  him  the 
fact  that  the  road  becomes  almost  impassable  when 
the  streams  are  swollen  by  the  melted  snow  a  few 
weeks  hence.  He  replied  that  the  King  was  occu 
pied  in  preparations  for  my  departure. 

"  In  the  evening  the  master  of  ceremonies  was 
very  communicative.  In  reply  to  questions  of  mine 
(brought  in  naturally,  after  I  had  led  the  conversa 
tion  round  about  from  crickets  on  the  hearth  to 
crickets  in  the  woods,  and  thence  to  forests  in  gen 
eral,  and  the  forests  of  the  Kashgar  mountains  in 
particular),  he  told  me  that  the  range  north  of  this  is 
called  Kakshal,  and  that  to  the  south,  Kizilze.  The 
continuation  of  the  Kakshal  range  east  is  called 
Moostagh,  and  farther  east  Thian-Shan.  This,  of 


220  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

course,  we  knew  already.  At  the  foot  of  the  Kak- 
shal  range  is  the  ancient  town  of  Artash,  about 
twenty  miles  from  Kashgar. 

"The  King  apparently  is  a  most  plucky  soldier. 
He  has  eleven  wounds  on  his  body,  five  of  which  are 
from  Russian  bullets.  While  besieging  Yarkand,  he 
was  hit  in  the  side  and  in  the  thigh,  and  had  several 
horses  killed  under  him.  He  bound  up  his  wounds 
with  scarfs,  and  mentioned  them  to  no  one,  bearing  a 
smiling  face  when  anyone  approached,  but  writhing 
with  pain  when  unobserved.  The  master  of  cere 
monies  was  there  as  usual  in  personal  attendance  on 
him,  with  nine  other  Mahrams  who  accompanied  him 
to  the  field.  l  While  the  King  was  thus  concealing 
his  wounds,'  says  the  master  of  ceremonies,  '  I,  who 
had  received  a  scratch  on  the  face'  (of  which  he 
showed  us  the  mark)  '  from  a  Toonganee  spear,  was 
lying  groaning  night  and  day  in  my  tent.  When  no 
one  was  near,  I  sat  up  drinking  tea,  but  when  any 
one  came  in,  I  was  rolling  on  the  floor  with  pain. 
As  fast  as  the  wound  healed,  I  tore  it  open  again, 
and  if  the  siege  had  lasted  two  years,  I  believe  I 
should  have  kept  it  open  all  that  time.  I  had  no 
mind  to  go  out  again  among  the  bullets.  One  had 
struck  the  high  pommel  of  my  saddle,  and  another 
had  broken  the  clasp  of  my  belt.  I  reflected  that  if 
it  had  been  one  of  these  instead  of  a  spear  that  had 
struck  me  in  the  face,  I  should  have  been  a  dead 
man.  My  death  would  have  been  reported  to  the 
King,  and  he  would  have  said,  "  Allah-o-Akabar  " 
(God  is  great),  '  and  that  is  all  !  Ah,  your  bullets 
are  bad  things.  If  it  were  not  for  them  I  should  be 


DETENTION  AT  KASHGAR  221 

a.  brave  man.  The  King  does  not  care  for  his  life, 
but  I  care  for  mine.  While  I  lay  there  wounded,  I 
had  two  hearts '  (which  he  illustrated  by  holding  out 
two  fingers).  <  One  said,  "  Go  out  to  fight ; "  the 
other  said,  "  Lie  here  in  peace ! "  At  night  the 
former  heart '  (pulling  his  forefinger)  '  was  victorious, 
but  when  morning  came,  I  always  listened  to  that 
which  told  me  to  lie  still.  The  King  gave  me  a 
koors,  and  a  brocade  robe  for  my  wound,  but  he  did 
not  heed  his  own  at  all.' ': 

On  March  1st,  the  orphan  boy,  whom  Shaw  had 
brought  with  him  from  the  Himalayas,  was  sent  for 
to  be  given  into  the  care  of  Nyaz  Beg,  Governor  of 
Khoten.  The  King  sent  many  messages  of  thanks, 
etc.,  and  the  boy  and  his  goods  were  carried  off  by 
the  Sirkar.  They  said  the  boy  will  be  kept  under 
the  charge  of  the  Governor  till  he  grows  up,  when 
his  goods  will  be  given  to  him.  Meanwhile,  his 
brother  is  to  be  allowed  to  see  him  occasionally,  but 
not  to  touch  his  property.  He  will  be  brought  up 
with  the  two  sons  of  the  Beg,  who  are  about  his  age. 

On  March  6th,  Shaw  was  officially  informed  of 
Hay  ward's  arrival  in  Kashgar,  and  on  the  llth  he 
writes  as  follows :  "  As  usual,  much  time  was  spent  in 
listening  to  rumors  and  scraps  of  information,  fur 
nished  by  my  servants  and  the  officials,  out  of  which 
I  try  to  build  up  some  grounds  of  hope  for  a  speedy 
release  and  leave  to  depart.  Some  say  we  shall  be 
kept  another  month  ;  others  that  we  shall  start  in 
three  days.  I  told  the  Yoozbashee  to-day,  that  in 
my  country  even  prisoners  had  their  complaints  for 
warded  to  the  proper  authorities ;  but  that  here,  no 


222  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

one  would  even  take  a  letter  for  me  to  the  King.  In 
reply  he,  as  usual,  invented  a  number  of  stories — all 
lies — to  explain  the  conduct  of  the  King. 

"  To-day  came  a  long  and  interesting  letter  from 
Hay  ward.  The  account  I  heard  of  his  warlike  dem 
onstration  at  Yarkand  appears  to  have  been  a  great 
exaggeration.  In  the  first  part  of  his  letter,  written 
at  Yarkand,  he  praises  the  hospitality  of  the  Toorke, 
and  says  he  shall  carry  away  pleasant  recollections  of 
the  country ;  in  the  second  part,  written  at  Kashgar, 
he  is  inclined  to  think  the  King  the  greatest  rascal  in 
Asia.  Apparently,  he  made  a  very  laborious  trip  up 
and  down  the  Yarkand  rivers,  with  valuable  results. 

"  I  am  more  than  ever  convinced  now  that  the  Ata- 
lik-Ghazee  is  ' exploiting'  me  for  the  benefit  of  sub 
jects  and  neighbors  as  an  English  envoy.  He  knows 
perfectly  well  himself  that  I  am  not  so,  as  I  have  re 
peatedly  told  both  him  and  the  Governor  of  Yarkand 
that  I  am  not  sent  by  Government,  and  they  have  as 
sented,  saying  that  they  knew  this  before.  But  for  all 
that  they  wish  the  world  to  be  misled  on  the  subject. 
Hence  all  this  parading  of  me  about  the  country,  and 
the  assembling  several  thousands  to  line  the  approach 
when  I  went  to  visit  him.  This  also,  I  believe,  is  the 
reason  why  my  letter  sent  by  my  agent,  asking  per 
mission  to  come,  was  detained  till  I  could  deliver  it 
myself,  a  dreadful  solecism  otherwise,  for  the  favor 
which  it  requested  had  already  been  granted.  But 
the  parade  of  the  gold  casket  and  ornamented  papers 
presented  in  state  was  what  they  cared  for. 

"  The  master  of  ceremonies  says  some  years  ago 
the  Russians  asked  the  Chinese  to  sell  them  a  few 


DETENTION  AT  KASHGAR  223 

acres  or  land  in  a  desert  at  the  foot  of  a  mountain. 
The  Chinese  were  glad  enough  to  get  500  yamboos 
for  such  a  spot,  but  within  a  year  they  saw  a  fortress 
rising  on  it.  From  this  centre  the  Russians  have  ex 
tended  in  all  directions,  while  the  Chinese  watched 
them  with  their  fingers  in  their  mouths !  The  for 
tress  is  Almatee  or  Vernoje." 

On  the  20th  of  March,  Shaw's  Moonshee,  or  agent, 
was  taken  to  see  the  King,  who  received  him  in  a  cor 
dial  but  condescending  way,  and  said,  "  Sit  down,  and 
pray  for  me."  Thereupon  the  Moonshee  repeated  some 
formal  prayers  in  Arabic  to  the  effect  that  the  King's 
rule  might  be  to  the  profit  of  himself  and  Islam  ;  and 
the  King  replied,  "  With  God's  blessing,  with  God's 
blessing!"  "After  a  few  more  civil  words,  he  was 
taken  into  another  room  and  presented  with  a  robe 
and  i  dastar-khan,'  and  afterward  led  to  the  inner 
gateway  to  make  a  distant  farewell  salutation  to  the 
King.  It  is  the  custom  of  the  country,  after  receiving 
a  robe,  to  wear  it  outside  the  rest  of  one's  clothes  for 
three  days ;  and,  after  receiving  a  turban,  to  wear  it 
without  tucking  up  the  ends  for  the  same  period." 

Toward  the  end  of  March,  Shaw  received  a  smug 
gled  note  from  Hay  ward,  in  which  the  latter  ex 
pressed  his  fears  that  they  would  both  be  put  to  death. 
Shaw  still  retained  his  first  impression,  that  their  con 
finement  denoted  an  ultimate  release,  and  sent  back  a 
letter  in  which  he  explained  his  grounds  of  belief. 
The  servants  were  no  longer  confined  to  the  house  as 
at  first,  and  the  bearing  of  the  officials  was  still  very 
friendly  and  encouraging.  One  of  the  men,  Jooma, 
was  even  allowed  to  visit  the  Old  City  of  Kashgar, 


224:  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

which  he  reported  to  be  larger  than  Yarkand,  and 
crowded  with  inhabitants.  It  has  five  gates :  the 
stables  for  animals  are  underground,  and  all  the 
houses  have  upper  stories. 

On  the  1st  of  April,  Shaw  writes :  "  The  Chief 
Jemadar  says  that  the  King  will  start  for  Yang-hissar 
in  six  days'  time.  He  has  been  ordered  to  follow 
three  or  four  days  later,  bringing  us  with  him.  The 
Jemadar  added,  '  Many  other  officers  could  have 
brought  you  along,  but  I  fancy  he  thinks  you  will  be 
under  less  restraint  with  me.' 

"I  hear  from  other  quarters  also  that  the  Atalik 
starts  in  six  days. 

"  The  Yoozbashee  propounded  a  theory,  that  at 
this  season  a  great  part  of  the  strength  of  men  goes 
into  the  trees,  to  enable  them  to  shoot  and  bear  leaves 
and  fruit.  After  the  first  season  the  strength  leaves 
the  trees,  and  comes  back  into  men.  Hence  men  at 
this  present  season  are  languid  and  limp." 

Two  days  later,  "  The  Yoozbashee  was  talking  about 
everything  being  God's  work,  and  why  was  I  impa 
tient  ?  1  replied,  l  My  impatience  is  God's  work  also.' 
This  he  seemed  to  consider  a  poser.  I  also  said, 
1  What  I  regret  is  this,  that  out  of  the  fixed  number 
of  years  which  God  has  appointed  me  to  live,  I  have 
just  lost  entirely  three  months,  which  are  as  it  were 
wiped  out  of  my  existence,  and  cannot  be  replaced. 
He  replied,  '  No,  no,  they  are  not  lost ;  you  will  see 
that  your  residence  here  has  been  productive  of  very 
important  results,  and  then  you  will  look  upon  these 
three  months  as  one  day.' " 

The   period   of   deliverance   was   really   at  hand. 


DETENTION  AT  KASIIOAR  225 

After  so  many  rumors,  and  three  months  of  close  de 
tention,  there  was  a  sudden  change  in  his  treatment. 
"  On  the  afternoon  of  the  5th  of  April,"  he  writes, 
"  the  Sirkar  came  and  announced  that  either  a  hig 
officer  would  be  sent  to  communicate  with  me  or  else 
I  should  be  taken  myself  to  see  the  King.  I  an 
swered,  '  I  am  pleased  with  either  course,  whichever 
the  Atalik-Ghazee  orders.'  After  a  few  minutes,  the 
Sirkar  said,  '  Get  yourself  ready,  for  you  will  be  sent 
for  this  evening.'  I  suppose  his  first  announcement 
was  intended  to  try  me. 

"  When  he  was  gone,  I  got  ready  two  guns  (the 
only  ones  I  had  left),  to  present  as  a '  nazar,'  by  the 
Yoozbashee's  advice.  I  know  they  had  coveted  these 
two  guns  ever  since  I  have  been  in  the  country,  as 
they  knew  they  were  those  I  kept  for  my  own  use. 
English-made  fire-arms  are  not  so  common  in  this 

O 

country  that  they  can  let  any  leave  it. 

"  About  eight  o'clock  in  the  evening  I  was  fetched. 
They  took  me  to  the  opposite  corner  of  the  great 
square  before  the  palace,  and  then  by  a  side  street  to 
a  big  gateway,  with  a  row  of  guns  standing  on  each 
side.  Opening  the  gate,  we  passed  through  the  corps 
de  garde  and  into  a  square,  lighted  with  Chinese  lan 
terns.  Opposite  was  a  kind  of  pavilion,  with  walls 
of  open  work,  which,  lighted  up  from  the  inside,  had 
a  pretty  effect.  My  conductor  left  me  at  the  foot  of 
a  flight  of  steps  leading  up  into  the  pavilion.  I  went 
up  alone,  and  entered  the  room.  In  a  corner  was 
sitting  the  Atalik-Ghazee,  close  to  an  opening  in  the 
trellis.  He  held  out  his  hands  to  welcome  me,  and 
placed  me  opposite  him,  telling  me  to  sit  down  com- 


226  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

fortably  (for  I  had,  of  course,  taken  the  excruciating 
sitting  posture  usual  in  Toorkistan).  After  the  usual 
inquiries  after  health,  etc.,  he  called  for  an  inter 
preter,  a  Ilindoostanee  Jemadar,  who  came  and  stood 
below  the  window  at  which  we  were  sitting.  I  can 
not  attempt  to  give  the  whole  of  our  conversation, 
for  I  sat  there  more  than  an  hour  talking  and  being 
talked  to.  But  the  chief  points  are  the  following : 
The  King  began  by  saying  that  he  felt  highly  honored 
by  my  visit  to  his  country  ;  that  he  was  very  inferior 
in  power  and  dignity  to  the  English  :  only  so  big 
(showing  the  tip  of  his  little  finger)  in  comparison 
with  the  Malika  Padishah  (the  Queen).*  I  replied, 
I  hoped  there  might  be  friendship  established  between 
the  two  countries  as  there  is  between  the  Sultan  of 
Room  (Turkey)  and  the  English,  and  that  between 
friends  one  does  not  consider  inequality  (you  will  say 
this  answer  of  mine  was  a  stale  one,  having  been 
given  before,  but  remember  the  statement  which  drew 
it  forth  was  stale  also).  He  said,  '  God  grant  it,'  and 
then  went  on  to  say  that  I  was  his  brother,  that  all 
his  subjects  were  my  servants,  and  that  when  neigh 
boring  nations  heard  of  my  coming  to  him  (he  men 
tioned  Russia  and  Khokand  by  name),  his  honor, 
would  be  greatly  increased.  I  answered  that  I  had 
not  been  sent  either  by  the  Queen  or  the  Lord  Sahib 
(the  Viceroy),  but  had  merely  come  of  my  own  ac 
cord,  hearing  his  renown  ;  that  the  only  use  I  could 
be  of  was  by  giving  him  information  as  to  my  own 

*  I  noticed  that  now  he  seemed  to  know  all  about  the  Queen, 
whereas  in  my  first  interview  it  was  all  the  "  Lord  Fashah,"  or 
Viceroy  of  India.  He  has  profited  by  his  lessons. 


DETENTION  AT  KASHOAR  227 

land  and  sovereign,  with  whose  affairs  I  was,  of 
course,  acquainted.  (I  noticed  that  the  interpreter 
sank  his  voice  almost  to  a  whisper  in  translating  all 
[this.) 

"  The  King  replied  that  I  was  his  brother,  etc.,  and 
paid  me  many  compliments,  saying  he  had  never 
seen  an  Englishman  before,  though  he  had  heard 
much  of  their  power  and  truthfulness.  He  added 
that  he  was  convinced  that  from  them  could  proceed 
nothing  hurtful  to  himself,  but  rather  good.  He 
then  said,  '  I  consider  you  my  brother ;  whatever 
course  you  advise,  I  will  take.  I  am  thinking  of 
sending  an  envoy  to  your  country.  What  is  your 
advice  ? '  I  said,  <  Your  intention  is  most  excellent, 
and  it  is  most  desirable  that  an  envoy  should  go.' 
He  then  replied,  fl  will  send  the  envoy,  and  give 
him  a  letter  to  the  Lord  Sahib,  asking  him  to  send 
him  on  to  the  Queen.'  I  replied,  '  That  is  the  very 
best  plan.'  He  said,  <  Well,  now  about  the  time  ; 
when  should  he  go  ? '  I  said,  '  That  is  as  you  please  ; 
either  send  him  with  me,  or  before  me,  or  after  me, 
but  I  advise  that  what  is  done  should  be  done  quickly.' 
He  said,  '  Of  course  ;  my  envoy  will  go  with  you, 
and  as  you  think  he  ought  to  go  soon,  I  will  only 
keep  you  here  three  days  more,  then  you  shall  go  to 
Yarkand,  and  I  will  put  him  under  your  charge 
either  at  Yang-hissar  or  at  Yarkand.'  I  said,  4  Yery 
good ;  and  if  it  is  your  order,  I  will  then  explain  to 
him  all  that  he  may  expect  to  be  asked,  and  other 
things  which  you  probably  have  not  leisure  to  hear 
from  me,  and  he  can  then  obtain  your  orders  on 
these  subjects,  lest  when  he  gets  to  the  presence  of 


228  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

our  rulers,  he  should  find  himself  unable  to  give  an 
answer.'  He  replied, '  Do  so,  by  all  means.  We  will 
have  another  talk  together  to-morrow  evening,  and 
again  at  Yang-hissar,  where  I  shall  go  after  visiting 
the  Mazar  (a  Mussulman  shrine).  I  will  also  send 
a  man '  (I  caught  the  word  '  pisar,'  or  son,  but  the 
interpreter  did  not  say  so),  '  who  shall  come  and  go 
between  you  and  me,  and  through  whom  we  can  com 
municate  ;  when  he  comes,  let  no  one  be  present  but 
your  two  selves.  Send  all  your  servants  out  of  the 
way,  and  whatever  passes  between  us,  keep  it  secret 
till  you  re-enter  your  own  country.'  I  promised  to 
do  so.  He  said,  '  The  Queen  of  England  is  like  the 
sun,  which  warms  everything  it  shines  upon.  I  am 
in  the  cold,  and  desire  that  some  of  its  rays  should 
fall  upon  me.  I  am  very  small — a  man  of  yesterday. 
In  these  few  years  God  has  given  me  this  great  coun 
try.  It  is  a  great  honor  for  me  that  you  have  come. 
I  count  upon  you  to  help  me  in  your  own  country. 
Whatever  services  I  can  render  you  here,  you  may 
command,  and  you  must  do  the  same  for  me.  Come, 
what  report  will  you  give  of  me  when  you  get  back  ? ' 
I  said,  '  I  shall  tell  them  that  the  renown  of  you  that 
has  reached  India  is  but  half  of  what  I  have  found 
the  facts  to  be.'  He  laughed,  and  stretched  out  his 
hand  to  shake  mine.  Then  he  said,  'You  must  keep 
on  sending  a  servant  of  your  own  with  merchandise 
to  Toorkistan.  Whether  the  Malika  sends  me  an  en 
voy  or  no,  that  she  will  decide,  but  your  own  special 
agent  must  come  and  go.  Will  you  send  one  yearly  ? ' 
I  replied,  '  If  I  have  your  permission,  I  will  certainly 
do  so.'  He  said,  '  That  is  right.  Send  all  sorts  of 


DETENTION  AT  KASHGAR  229 

merchandise  by  him,  and  send  a  letter  to  me,  asking 
for  whatever  you  want.  You  may  always  command 
me,  and  the  arrival  of  your  letter  will  be  as  wealth  to 
me.'  I  said,  '  I  trust  by  that  means  I  shall  be  able  to 
receive  frequent  intelligence  of  your  well-being  and 
prosperity.  That  will  be  my  greatest  pleasure.  I 
trust  that  your  kingdom  may  be  established  for  hun 
dreds  of  years.' 

"  After  more  of  this  style  of  conversation,  and 
drinking  my  tea,  he  called  for  a  robe  to  be  put  on 
me ;  but  after  I  had  received  it,  he  again  made  me 
sit  down,  and  repeated  some  of  his  previous  speeches, 
saying,  l  Az  barae  Khooda '  (Before  God),  '  I  mean 
all  that  I  say.  I  am  a  Mussulman,  and  will  not  stir 
from  my  engagements.'  Finally  I  was  let  go,  and 
the  King's  son  appeared,  and  conducted  me  as  far  as 
the  outer  gateway.  Toward  the  latter  part  of  the 
time,  the  interpreter  apparently  thought  I  did  not  ap 
pear  grateful  enough  for  the  honor  and  compliments 
bestowed  on  me.  He  kept  on  saying,  in  Ilindoo- 
stanee,  '  Consider  what  this  great  prince  is  saying  to 
you  ;  he  has  never  said  so  much  to  anyone  before.' 
I  don't  know  whether  he  expected  me  to  stand  up  and 
say  i  Allah-o-Akabar,'  or  perform  any  other  ceremony 
of  that  sort ;  but  the  King  evidently  did  not,  for  he 
stopped  the  interpreter,  and  told  him  to  say  only  what 
he  was  ordered. 

"  On  coming  out  I  was  assailed  with  wishes  of 
4  Moobarak '  by  all  my  attendants,  who  all  came  and 
sat  with  me,  to  hear  the  result  of  my  visit  to  the 
King. 

"  The  next  morning  the  Sirkar  brought  me  as  a 


230  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

parting  present  from  the  King  bags  of  gold  and  sil 
ver  yamboos,  and  some  gold-dust  in  paper,  saying 
they  were  for  my  private  expenses.  I  estimate  their 
value  at  about  £690.  Presently  he  reappeared,  with 
about  £45  of  silver  for  the  agent.  Again,  he  brought 
me  a  robe  of  crimson  satin,  gorgeous  with  gold  and 
embroidery,  and  a  high  velvet  cap,  and  other  robes 
for  myself,  the  agent,  and  all  the  servants.  Soon 
after  arrived  a  horse,  with  handsome  trappings,  whose 
bridle  was  put  into  my  hand,  while  blessings  were 
invoked  with  outstretched  arms.  This  evening  I  have 
again  been  taken  to  see  the  King.  Everything  as  be 
fore,  except  that  my  agent  was  allowed  to  come  into 
the  court  after  I  was  seated,  and  say  a  distant  salaam, 
to  which  the  King  responded  from  his  window,  with  a 
muttered  l  O  aleikoom  as-salaam,'  stroking  his  beard, 
and  adding,  '  he  is  a  good  man,  poor  fellow '  ('  be- 
chara,'  a  patronizing  term  of  friendship).  As  before, 
his  conversation  fell  chiefly  on  his  own  insignificance 
compared  with  our  Queen,  '  Ruler  of  the  seven  climes,' 
as  he  called  her.  He  enlarged  on  his  desire  of  friend 
ship  with  England,  but  chiefly  on  his  special  friend 
ship  for  me,  saying  that,  when  he  saw  my  face,  God 
put  it  into  his  mind  to  take  it  for  a  good  omen  for 
himself. 

"  I  replied  that  his  kindness  was  overpowering,  and 
that,  as  I  myself  was  too  insignificant  to  deserve  it,  I 
took  it  all  as  meant  for  my  sovereign  and  nation.  He 
took  me  to  refer  to  the  presents  he  had  sent  me  in  the 
morning,  and  said,  '  No,  no,  it  is  all  for  yourself  in 
particular,  on  account  of  the  private  friendship  I  have 
formed  for  you.  For  your  Queen  I  mean  to  prepare 


I!::1:"      ' 


DETENTION  AT  KASHOAR  231 

some  fitting  gifts,  and  as  you  are  my  friend,  and  I  am 
ignorant  of  the  customs  of  your  country,  I  count  on 
you  to  tell  me  what  is  proper  to  be  sent  to  her.  She 
is  very  great,  and  I  am  very  little  ;  I  conceal  nothing 
from  you  ;  you  know  the  state  of  my  country  ;  it  pro 
duces  nothing  hut  felts,  and  such  like  things'  (laugh 
ing,  and  pointing  to  the  matting  of  the  floor),  '  so  you 
must  give  me  advice.'  I  said,  '  Friendship  is  the  most 
valuable  gift  that  kings  can  give  one  another  ;  but  if 
I  can  be  of  any  use  in  giving  advice,  lam  at  your  ser 
vice.'  He  said,  '  I  count  on  you  for  this.  When  we 
meet  at  Yang-hissar,  we  will  arrange  all.  Here  I  am 
oppressed  with  business.  There  are  people  here  from 
Russia  (?),  from  Khokarid,  from  Bokhara,  and  from 
all  quarters.  But  I  purpose  to  go  to  Yang-hissar,  and 
throw  off  business  like  an  extra  robe,  and  then  we  will 
talk  much  together.  Whatever  advice  you  give  me  I 
will  follow  down  to  the  least  point '  (showing  the  tip 
of  his  fingers), i  whether  about  writing  letters,  or  send 
ing  envoys,  or  doing  anything.' 

"  I  replied, l  The  plan  of  sending  an  envoy  proceeds 
from  your  own  counsel  and  wisdom  ;  but  if  in  the  exe 
cution  of  it  I  can  be  of  the  least  service,  from  my 
knowledge  of  English  customs,  etc.,  that  is  what  I 
most  desire.'  Then,  counting  on  his  fingers,  he  said, 
4  To-morrow  is  Char-Shamba,  next  day  Pan j -Sham ba, 
and  the  day  after  Friday.  I  shall  start  for  Yang-hissar, 
leaving  my  son  here.  Stay  with  him  a  couple  of  days 
(my  country,  and  all  my  subjects  are  yours),  and  on 
Friday  come  to  meet  me  at  Yang-hissar.  I  have  a 
great  affection  for  that  place,  as  it  was  the  first  town 
I  took  in  this  country,  and  I  intend  to  pay  my  devotion 


232  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

at  the  shrine  there.  We  will  arrange  all  matters  there, 
and  I  will  send  with  you  two  or  three  men  of  rank  and 
wisdom.  They  shall  carry  you  in  the  palms  of  their 
hands  till  you  leave  my  country,  and  then  go  with  you 
to  your  own  country.' 

"  After  further  talk,  he  said,  '  I  feel  great  shame 
because  an  Englishman  once  before  came  to  this  coun 
try,  and  was  murdered  by  a  robber,  one  Walle  Khan, 
who  was  then  here.'  I  replied, i  We  know  that  you  had 
no  hand  in  it,  and  do  not  throw  the  blame  on  you. 
The  traveller  you  speak  of  was  not  an  Englishman, 
but  a  German  ;  but  still  we  felt  much  grieved  at  his 
death,  for  he  was  a  guest  of  ours  in  India,  whence  he 
came  to  Toorkistan.'  lie  went  on  to  say,  holding  up 
six  fingers,  '  There  !  that  is  just  the  number  of  years 
that  I  have  been  in  power  ;  before  then  I  was  nobody.' 
I  answered,  '  Those  kings  who  succeed  to  thrones  by 
right  of  birth  obtain  their  power  by  no  merit  of  their 
own.  But  those  who,  like  Timoor  and  Sikandar 
(Tamerlane  and  Alexander),  obtain  great  kingdoms 
by  their  own  deeds,  are  looked  upon  with  admiration.' 
The  king  clutched  his  robe  (d  la  Toorkee),  and  said, 
t  May  God  make  your  words  true.'  (You  will  say  I 
am  wonderfully  sententious,  but  that  is  the  custom  of 
the  country.  Tapper  would  be  a  great  literary  char 
acter  here.) 

"Again,  the  Atalik  said,  i  Another  Englishman 
came  to  Yarkand  ;  do  you  know  who  he  is  ?  I  said, 
'  I  met  an  Englishman  in  Thibet,  who  asked  me  to 
take  him  with  me,  but  I  told  him  that  I  could  not 
do  so,  as  I  had  only  asked  permission  of  the  King 
for  myself  alone  to  enter  his  country.'  He  answered, 


DETENTION  AT  KASHGAR  233 

'Well,  whatever  Englishman  comes,  he  is  welcome 
to  me.' 

"  After  this  I  was  allowed  to  go,  being  nearly 
stifled,  from  having  to  wear  three  heavy  robes,  one 
above  the  other,  the  gift  of  the  King  this  afternoon  ; 
such  is  the  custom  of  the  country.  I  forgot  to  say 
that  when  I  entered,  the  King  wished  me  '  Moobarak ' 
(or  happy)  on  putting  on  the  new  robes. 

"  I  tried  to  give  a  robe  of  honor  to  the  Sirkar  who 
brought  me  my  presents,  but  he  resolutely  refused  to 
receive  anything,  saying  the  King  would  cut  his 
throat  if  he  accepted  the  smallest  present  from  a 
Mihman  (guest).  I  told  him  to  try  and  get  permis 
sion  from  the  King." 

On  April  the  7th  the  King  left  Kashgar  for 
Yang-hissar,  and  the  same  afternoon,  says  Shaw, 
"  came  a  note  from  Hay  ward,  saying  that,  as  I  am 
being  allowed  to  depart,  while  nothing  is  said  about 
his  going,  he  anticipates  that  they  mean  to  keep  him. 
I  am  sorry  to  say  this  was  rather  confirmed  by  an 
ugly  rumor  that  one  of  my  servants  heard  to-day. 
He  was  told  that  I  should  now  be  sent  back  to  India 
with  an  envoy  from  the  Atalik-Gahzee,  and  that 
Hay  ward  would  be  kept  as  a  hostage  for  his  safe  re 
turn. 

"  I  immediately  gave  orders  to  Jooma  to  go  to  the 
Jemadar  Dad-Khwah,  who  seems  to  have  some  in 
fluence,  and  is  also  sensible  and  friendly.  Jooma  is 
to  explain  to  him  that,  as  long  as  an  Englishman  is 
kept  here  against  his  will,  it  is  quite  useless  to  ex 
pect  any  good  to  come  from  sending  an  envoy ;  and 
that,  if  they  are  not  going  to  allow  Hay  ward  to  de- 
1G 


234  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

part,  they  may  save  themselves  the  trouble  of  enter 
ing  into  any  communication  with  our  Government." 
The  next  day  the  answer  was  returned  that  Shaw 
would  leave  Kashgar  on  the  morrow,  and  that  Hay- 
ward  would  be  allowed  to  go  at  the  same  time. 


CHAPTER  XYI. 

THE   RETURN  TO  YARKAND,  AND   SECOND   RESIDENCE 
THERE 

ON  Friday,  the  9th  of  April,  1869,  Shaw  was  es 
corted  out  of  the  gates  of  Kashgar,  on  his 
return  journey.  lie  says:  "  We  started  about  ten 
o'clock.  Most  of  the  servants  and  all  the  luggage 
came  in  two  '  arabas  '  (country  carts).  A  nasty  windy 
day,  storms  of  dust  and  drizzling  rain  at  intervals. 
The  Sirkar  rode  out  with  me  a  little  distance  from  the 
fortress,  and  then  got  off  his  horse  to  take  his  leave 
of  me.  I  am  accompanied  by  the  red-robed  Yasawal, 
and  by  the  Sirkar's  deputy,  besides  the  Yoozbashee 
and  his  party.  We  breakfasted  on  getting  to  Yep- 
chang,  where  we  put  up  at  the  old  place,  a  master  of 
ceremonies  having  been  sent  on  to  prepare  it.  The 
house  belongs  to  the  head-man  of  Yepchang.  I  went 
out  with  Sarda  to  some  sand-hillocks  about  a  mile 
off,  where  we  had  a  splendid  view  of  the  Kakshal 
and  the  Karantagh  mountains  to  the  north,  and  the 
gigantic  snowy  range  to  the  southwest.  We  could 
see  Kashgar  fortress  plainly,  and  took  bearings  till 
interrupted  by  fresh  storms  of  dust.  On  returning, 
I  found  the  arabas  had  arrived :  they  are  tilt  carts, 
with  a  pair  of  enormous  wheels,  one  horse  in  the 
shafts  and  two  leaders  attached  by  long  traces  of 
rope  running  through  iron  rings  on  the  shafts,  and 


236  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

fastened  to  the  axle  under  the  cart.  Each  horse  lias  a 
separate  pair  of  traces  all  the  way  back,  also  separate 
pairs  of  reins  to  each.  On  the  horses'  necks  is  a  kind 
of  yoke  (two  parallel  sticks),  which  are  kept  from  the 
shoulder  by  large  pads  ;  the  whole  effect  being  that 
of  a  horse  collar,  except  that  the  yoke  is  tin-own  off 
with  the  traces,  leaving  the  pads  on  the  horse. 

"  Afterward,    the  weather  having  cleared,  I  made 

'  ZD 

another  excursion  to  the  sand-hills,  and  got  more 
bearings,  and  a  sight  of  the  mountains  all  around. 
The  wheat  and  barley  were  both  sprouting,  a  couple 
of  inches  high.  Ploughing  for  some  other  crop  was 
going  on,  with  pairs  of  bullocks  yoked  very  wide 
apart.  I  saw  a  pair  of  horses,  too,  employed  in  har 
rowing,  or  rather  clod-crushing.  Gourds  with  holes 
in  them  were  stuck  up  in  the  trees,  near  the  houses, 
for  a  small  kind  of  blackbird  with  yellow  beak  to 
build  in.  These  birds  sing  well,  and  are  said  to  turn 
dark  bine  in  summer.  The  Toorks  call  them  ~kara- 
Jcooch-Jcach.  I  was  told  that  Indian  corn  here  pro 
duces  sixty-four  measures  of  produce  from  one  meas 
ure  of  seed ;  wheat  and  barley  less.  I  noticed  also 
some  Tartar  wheelbarrows,  very  light  and  handy. 

"  The  whole  way  the  ground  is  cultivated,  except 
ing  the  basin  of  the  last  river,  which  is  left  in  pas 
ture.  Farm-houses  are  dotted  over  the  whole  coun 
try,  their  orchards  and  plantations  hiding  the  view 
beyond  a  few  hundred  yards.  There  were  a  great 
many  '  arabas '  on  the  road. 

"  The  next  morning  was  cloudless,  with  white  frost 
and  a  thin  coat  of  ice  on  the  wayside  pools.  I  made 
another  excursion  to  get  a  view  of  the  mountains. 


THE  RETURN  TO   YARKAND  237 

A  perfect  view  all  round.  There  are  enormous 
mountains  to  the  southwest  with  snow  extending  at 
least  three-fifths  of  the  way  down  from  their  tops. 
The  northern  and  the  southern  ranges  trend  away  to 
the  westward,  where  there  is  an  apparent  opening  (a 
little  north  of  west)  occupied  by  lower  spurs,  and 
where  no  snowy  range  is  visible.  Thus  the  ranges 
form  a  deep  bay  of  which  we  cannot  see  the  end. 
Almost  immediately  south  of  us  the  southern  range 
culminates  in  a  gigantic  knot  of  peaks,  and  then 
turns  off  southward  out  of  sight.  But  the  northern 
range  continues  far  away  to  the  eastward  till  it  van 
ishes  from  mere  distance ;  a  long  wall  of  snowy 
mountains  (called  first  (  Karantagh,'  and  further  east 
£  Mooztagh  ')  from  which  long  lines  of  lower  ridges 
run  out  into  the  plain.  Over  these  lower  ridges,  and 
parallel  to  the  higher  range,  runs  the  road  to  Aksoo, 
crossing  as  many  as  eight  several  *  cols,'  or  small 


"  The  Yoozbashee  fell  ill,  and  came  part  of  the 
way  in  an  4  araba.'  We  stopped  half-way  at  a  vil 
lage,  and  had  a  dastar-khan  and  pilao.  A  hot  ride 
afterward  into  Yang-hissar.  The  country  is  even 
more  cultivated  than  I  had  thought  it  in  the  winter. 
There  are  a  few  tracts  of  pasture. 

"  Before  reaching  Yang-hissar  they  made  me  put 
on  a  crimson  satin  robe  and  velvet  cap  ;  so  I  rode  in 
in  triumph  !  I  am  lodged  in  a  mosque  near  the  fort, 
and  opposite  the  camp  of  the  Envoy  from  Kolab  (one 
of  the  small  states  of  Western  Toorkistan). 

"  My  master  of  ceremonies,  Ala  Akhoond,  met  us 
half-way,  and  rode  in  with  us.  Numerous  officials 


238  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

seem  to  float  in  front  of  us,  though  we  appear  unable 
to  grasp  them,  as  it  were.  They  disappear  as  soon 
as  seen,  and  finally  rejoin  one's  party  mysteriously 
and  are  found  in  one's  train.  They  prepared  every 
thing,  and  ushered  us  into  our  lodging. 

At  Yang-hissar,  on  Sunday,  the  llth :  "  I  have 
spent  a  much  pleasanter  day  than  for  several  months 
past.  We  seem  to  have  re-entered  the  world  again, 
after  our  long  seclusion.  We  are  living  in  a  mosque 
just  outside  the  gate  of  the  fortress,  and  between  it 
and  the  town,  which  is  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  off. 
Our  mosque  is  raised  some  height  above  the  ground, 
and,  sitting  on  a  kind  of  covered  platform  at  one 
side,  one  can  see  a  long  way  over  the  country.  On 
one  side  this  platform  is  left  open,  but  the  side  op 
posite  the  door  of  the  mosque  is  shut  in  with  silken 
screens,  of  the  kind  called  in  India 'kanats '  (which 
are  generally  used  as  the  side  walls  of  tents).  Other 
'  kanats '  enclose  a  small  open  space,  of  which  the 
fourth  side  is  formed  by  a  row  of  small  chambers, 
running  at  right  angles  from  the  end  of  the  mosque. 
Tents  for  the  servants  are  pitched  outside,  in  a  little 
garden  by  the  side  of  a  tank  which  belongs  to  the 
mosque. 

"  The  gate  of  the  fort  is  about  one  hundred  yards 
off,  and  the  road  leading  thence  to  the  town  has  been 
thronged  all  day  with  people,  forming  a  good  noisy, 
boisterous  crowd,  collected  to  see  the  distribution  of 
the  King's  bounty  to  a  lot  of  poor  people,  the  maimed, 
the  halt,  the  blind,  and  the  professional  beggars,  \vlio 
have  gathered  from  the  surrounding  district.  After 
gazing  at  nothing  but  bare  walls  for  nearly  three 


THE  RETURN  TO   YARKAND  239 

months,  it  is  indescribably  pleasant  to  watch  this 
scene  of  life  and  activity :  the  crowd  swaying  to  and 
fro,  the  small  boys  skirmishing  round  its  skirts,  and 
making  themselves  a  nuisance  to  the  steady -going 
sight-seers,  as  they  do  all  over  the  world.  Not  content 
with  the  dust  stirred  up  by  the  movements  of  the  mul 
titude  from  ground  where  it  lies  three  or  four  inches 
deep,  they  swept  it  about  with  their  boots,  and  pelted 
one  another  with  it ;  and  when  a '  devil '  (a  small  whirl 
wind,  common  in  India  as  well  as  here)  raised  its  re 
volving  column  of  sand,  they  made  common  cause 
with  it,  rushing  after  it  from  all  quarters,  and  strug 
gling  to  throw  their  caps  into  the  vortex,  for  the 
pleasure  of  seeing  them  whirled  up  into  the  air. 

"  Then  there  are  the  '  faqueers,'  or  dervishes,  in 
their  tall  conical  caps,  carrying  a  gourd  by  their  side. 
More  than  a  hundred  of  them  sat  down  in  a  row, 
waiting  for  their  turn  in  the  distribution  of  money. 
Stragglers  of  these  would  come  periodically  to  the 
foreigner's  camp  to  ask  for  alms,  and  when  they  re 
ceived  their  allowance  of  bread  or  rice,  would  repeat 
an  Arabic  prayer,  with  outspread  hands,  finishing 
with  an  '  Allah-o-Akabar,'  as  they  drew  them  slowly 
over  their  face,  down  to  the  tip  of  their  beards.  One 
of  them,  with  long  elf-locks  (a  rare  sight  here),  came 
and  addressed  me  in  Persian,  begging,  not  for  him 
self,  but  for  his  horse,  an  uncommonly  good-looking 
one,  which  he  was  leading  by  the  bridle.  I  had  be 
fore  heard  of  beggars  on  horseback,  but  had  never 
seen  one.  Indeed,  they  are  proverbially  said  to  ride 
in  another  direction.  Among  the  rest  1  recognized  a 
most  amusing  young  beggar  whom  I  had  seen  at 


240  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

Kashgar,  a  small  boy  of  four  or  five  years  old,  with 
only  one  eye,  who  lisps  out  Arabic  prayers  in  a  most 
voluble  manner,  chattering  away  in  Toorkee  in  the 
intervals,  and  interrupting  himself  to  pick  the  big 
lumps  of  sugar,  or  the  most  tempting  '  pistachio '  nuts, 
out  of  the  things  which  are  being  poured  into  the  skirt 
of  his  coat,  held  up  for  the  purpose.  His  parents 
seem  to  wind  him  up  before  they  send  him  in  to  beg, 
for  nothing  stops  him  in  his  voluble,  but  incompre 
hensible,  invocation  of  blessings. 

"  A  separate  crowd  is  formed  by  the  women,  with 
their  round  black-trimmed  pork-pie  hats  (their  win 
ter  head-dress),  and  white  head-kerchiefs.  When 
they  pass  in  front  of  my  abode,  they  drop  their  small 
net  veils  over  their  faces.  The  respectable  men  and 
local  dignitaries,  when  they  pass,  make  me  low  rev 
erences  with  folded  hands,  adding  the  usual  saluta 
tion,  '  As-salam  aleikoom,'  never  suspecting  me  to  be 
an  unbeliever,  but  taking  me  for  some  swell  Mussul 
man,  in  my  silk  robes  and  turban.  There  is  a  never- 
ending  stream  of  horsemen  going  in  and  out  of  the 
fort  gateway  :  the  officials  in  brilliant  garments  with 
silver-mounted  belts  and  swords,  their  guns  slung 
over  their  shoulders ;  the  moollahs  in  loose,  sober- 
colored  robes  ungirt  at  the  waist,  and  huge  white 
turbans ;  grooms  in  high  boots,  taking  their  masters' 
horses  out  to  exercise  or  water,  riding  one  and  lead 
ing  another,  both  in  their  stable  clothing,  which 
covers  them  up  to  their  eyes,  much  like  that  of  Eng 
lish  horses. 

"  On  the  other  side  of  my  dwelling  are  some  men  at 
work  making  a  vegetable  garden,  throwing  up  the 


THE  RETURN  TO   YARKAND  241 

ground  into  ridges  and  furrows  for  irrigation.  No 
Englishman  could  labor  harder,  or  do  more  work. 
When  I  sent  them  out  some  bread,  etc.,  they  made 
low  bows,  and  sat  down  together  to  make  a  meal, 
bringing  out  their  bottle-shaped  gourds  full  of  water, 
which  had  been  covered  up  by  their  overcoats  from 
the  heat.  But  they  made  no  long  business  of  it ; 
they  ate  the  bread,  and  immediately  got  up  again  to 
work,  only  interrupting  themselves  twice  in  the  after 
noon  to  say  their  usual  prayers,  prostrating  them 
selves  on  the  newly-turned  earth. 

"  In  the  same  direction  also  lies  a  walled  enclosure, 
occupied  by  barracks,  from  which  issued  a  company 
of  red-coated  foot-soldiers,  led  by  a  captain  in  blue. 
Their  uniform  has  a  very  Oriental  look  :  long  robes, 
reaching  below  the  knees,  turned  up  with  black  at 
the  edges  and  round  the  cuts  at  the  sides ;  wide 
trousers,  the  same ;  and  a  conical  cap,  blue  with  a 
red  tip :  a  curved  scimitar  at  the  side,  hanging  from 
a  belt  crowded  with  pouches  and  flasks.  They  have 
no  idea  of  marching  in  any  regular  formation,  but 
come  straggling  after  their  captain. 

"  In  the  afternoon  a  horse  with  fine  trappings 
came  for  the  Moonshee,  and  he  was  taken  away  into 
the  fort  to  say  '  Allah-o-Akabar '  to  the  King  for  it : 
which  he  did  from  a  distance,  as  before.  The  saddle 
cloth  is  of  the  Chinese  silk-embroidery  on  cloth. 

"  The  next  morning  (the  12th)  I  had  a  parting  in 
terview  with  the  King.  I  was  taken  into  the  fort, 
and  through  a  wide  street  bordered  with  blank 
walls,  to  the  gate  of  the  '  Oorda.'  Entering  this,  at 
the  end  of  one  court-yard  I  saw  the  King  sitting  at 


242  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

the  window  of  a  room.  As  usual,  I  was  made  to  sit 
down  opposite  him,  and  he  told  me  to  make  myself 
comfortable.  The  interpreter  was  called  for,  and  after 
mutual  inquiries  after  health,  we  had  another  long 
talk,  which  it  is  impossible  to  reproduce  entirely.  He 
said  he  was  going  to  send  an  envoy  with  me,  a  Sayad 
of  high  degree.  We  should  go  as  soon  as  the  young 
fruits  of  the  apricots  were  formed,  which  was  the 
time  when  the  passes  were  open.  (I  must  interrupt 
myself  to  notice  that,  as  the  Mussulman  lunar  months 
run  through  the  four  seasons  in  a  space  of  thirty-two 
years,  they  are  unable  to  denote  the  seasons  by  the 
names  of  months,  but  have  to  take  some  operation 
of  nature  as  a  guide  and  a  sign — either  the  time  of 
harvest,  or  the  ripening  of  certain  fruit,  or,  as  in  the 
present  case,  the  setting  of  the  fruit.)  He  informed 
me  that  he  would  have  messengers  sent  back  from 
Yarkand,  from  Shahidoolla,  from  Thibet,  and  from 
Cashmere,  to  bring  news  of  me,  and  of  our  progress. 
He  then  asked  me,  '  Shall  I  send  a  letter  to  the  Ma 
haraja  of  Cashmere?  what  do  you  advise?'  and  he 
leaned  forward  to  scrutinize  my  face  for  an  answer. 

"  I  tried  to  excuse  myself  from  giving  one,  but  as 
he  pressed  me,  I  replied,  *  It  is,  of  course,  just  as  yo.u 
wish ;  but  my  own  opinion  is  that  great  kings  should 
not  condescend  to  send  letters,  etc.,  to  tributary  chiefs.' 
He  turned  off  this  subject  at  once,  saying,  '  That  is 
all  I  wished  to  know  ;  I  shall  send  with  you  a  man 
who  will  be  under  your  orders,  to  send  him  back  from 
Cashmere  whenever  you  think  fit.'  He  then  asked 
whether  he  should  keep  a  merchant  as  a  news-writer 
at  Cashmere,  as  he  had  done  hitherto.  I  answered, 


THE  RETURN  TO   YARKAND  243 

i  By  all  means,  and  I  hope  you  will  soon  have  a  rep 
resentative  at  Lahore  also,  through  whom  mutual  in 
telligence  may  reach  us.'  All  this  I  only  said  after  a 
great  deal  of  restiveness,  telling  him  first  that  these 
were  matters  beyond  me,  and  that  his  own  judgment 
should  guide  him.  But  he  put  it  all  upon  private 
friendship,  saying,  '  You  know  all  about  Hindostan, 
etc.,  and  what  is  the  use  of  having  a  friend  if  he  will 
not  give  his  advice  about  matters  that  he  knows  ? ' 
Then  there  was  more  talk  about  the  greatness  of  the 
Malika  Sahib  (the  Queen),  and  her  being  like  the  sun, 
which  warms  everything  that  its  rays  fall  upon  (here 
the  interpreter  got  into  a  mess,  his  Indian  ideas  of  the 
sun  being  that  it  is  an  enemy  to  be  avoided,  and  shade 
the  chief  blessing  of  life  ;  and  he  entangled  himself 
in  a  metaphor  about  the  sun  casting  its  shade  upon 
people  !).  The  King  went  on  to  say  that  he  was  un 
worthy  to  be  the  friend  of  such  a  great  sovereign,  but 
he  hoped  he  might  be  allowed  to  bask  in  her  rays. 
He  desired  friendly  relations  with  us,  as  he  was  sur 
rounded  with  enemies  and  jealous  powers. 

"  Again  he  came  to  the  subject  of  his  friendship 
for  me.  I  responded,  telling  him  that  my  heart  was 
knit  with  his,  and  that  I  should  tell  my  countrymen 
of  his  kindly  feelings  and  kind  treatment.  He  said, 
'  Be  sure  to  send  some  servant  of  yours,  some  Moon- 
shee  or  other,  often  to  me.  Write  me  word  how  you 
are,  and  I  will  send  you  news  of  myself  ;  also,  ask  me 
for  whatever  you  want  from  this  country,  it  is  all  at 
your  service.'  I  said  I  would  be  sure  to  do  so,  etc. 
During  all  this  conversation  he  was  still  more  friendly 
than  usual,  wearing  a  continual  smile,  and  leaning 


TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

over  familiarly  to  talk  to  me  himself  in  easy  Persian, 
saying  at  every  phrase, '  Makool,  Shaw  Sahib  ? '  ('  Do 
you  understand  ? ')  His  whole  manner  to  me  is  most 
prevenant  and  friendly,  putting  aside  all  affectation 
of  dignity  or  reserve.  Finally,  after  tea,  a  robe  was 
put  on  me,  and  he  took  quite  an  affectionate  farewell, 
taking  my  hand  in  both  of  his,  and  holding  it  while 
he  wished  me  safe  home,  putting  me  under  God's 
care.  Then,  with  outspread  hands,  lie  repeated  an 
Arabic  prayer  for  my  safety  and  success,  drawing  his 
hands  over  his  face  down  to  the  beard,  with  an  '  Al- 
lah-o-Akabar.'  The  interpreter,  Ghoolam  Kadir,  was 
sent  back  with  me  to  my  temporary  abode,  to  write 
down  hints  for  presents  to  our  Queen,  which  he  had 
made  me  promise  to  write  for  him. 

"  I  stated,  vaguely,  that  things  peculiar  to  this  coun 
try,  and  not  very  bulky,  would  be  most  acceptable 
and  proper  to  send.  So  he  wrote  down  a  list  of  pro 
ductions  of  these  regions — jade,  silk-stuffs,  etc.,  etc. 
He  went  off,  promising  to  be  back  as  soon  as  he  could, 
if  possible  before  I  started.  But  he  did  not  reappear, 
and  we  took  our  departure  almost  immediately.  We 
rode  through  the  Bazar  of  Yang-hissar  and  so  on  to 
Toblok.  I  went  out  in  the  evening  and  took  bearings 
of  the  mountains ;  there  is  a  remarkable  depression 
visible  from  here,  through  which,  according  to  Jooma, 
a  pass  leads  to  Kolab  and  Badakhshan." 

The  further  journey  to  Yarkand  occupied  only 
three  days,  and  was  made  without  incident.  The 
country  through  which  they  passed  was  like  a  garden, 
all  the  orchards  being  in  blossom  and  the  hedgerow 
trees  in  full  leaf. 


THE  RETURN  TO   TARKAND  245 

On  entering  Yarkand,  Shaw  relates : 

"  I  was  led  to  my  former  house,  and  there  again 
had  to  eat  of  a  dastar-khan,  followed  by  nearly  a 
dozen  hot  dishes.  After  this  I  went  to  see  the  Gov 
ernor,  and  had  a  most  friendly  meeting.  The  Gov 
ernor  met  and  embraced  me  most  cordially,  with 
many  expressions  of  joy  at  seeing  me  again,  and  of 
sorrow  at  not  seeing  me  at  Kashgar.  Apropos  of 
my  visit  there  he  related  a  fable. 

"  Solomon,  who  understood  the  language  of  every 
creature,  overheard  the  King  of  the  Worms  warning 
his  subjects  against  him  (Solomon),  and  telling  them 
to  keep  clear  of  him  or  he  would  crush  them.  Sol 
omon  summoned  the  Worm-King  to  his  presence, 
and  asked  the  reason  of  this  misrepresentation.  The 
King  of  the  Worms  replied  :  If  they  went  near  and 
saw  thee,  O  Solomon,  they  would  never  again  rever 
ence  me !  ' 

"  At  this  parable,  which  was  given  without  any  in 
terpretation,  I  laughed  and  answered  that,  although 
the  Atalik-Ghazee  had  shown  me  much  friendship 
and  kindness,  yet  he  (the  Governor)  was  my  first 
friend,  and  therefore  had  the  precedence  in  my  af 
fections. 

"  In  the  evening  I  had  a  talk  with  the  Panjabashee 
Dada-Khan  about  a  relic  of  antiquity  which  is  said  to 
exist  on  the  road  from  Kashgar  to  Khokand.  He 
says  it  is  situated  at  a  place  called  '  Arawan,'  three 
tash  (fifteen  miles)  beyond  Oosh,  and  consists  of  a 
flight  of  ancient  steps  hewn  in  the  rock,  and  leading 
up  to  the  mouth  of  a  cave,  with  a  very  narrow  and 
small  entrance.  The  cave  is  very  extensive,  and  ap- 


246  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

pears  to  be  a  regular  labyrinth.  These  steps  are  known 
by  the  name  of  '  Ghihil-Sitoon,'  or  '  the  Forty  Steps.' 
The  natives  have  no  traditions  regarding  them,  except 
that  they  are  very  ancient." 

For  several  days  nothing  of  any  importance  oc 
curred.  Shaw  was  anxiously  expecting  news  of  the 
goods  which  he  had  left  behind  in  Ladak,  and  concern 
ing  which  such  contradictory  rumors  had  reached  him 
during  the  winter.  Ten  days  later,  two  of  his  servants 
who  had  been  left  in  charge  of  the  goods  arrived  at 
Yarkand,  and  reported  that  they  had  been  misled  by 
guides  the  previous  autumn,  some  of  the  horses  died, 
and  the  goods  had  finally  been  left  at  the  foot  of 
the  Karakoram  Pass.  The  hospitality  of  the  Govern 
ment  fortunately  prevented  Shaw  from  being  seriously 
inconvenienced  by  this  neglect  and  delay  ;  yet  it  was 
now  desirable  to  obtain  possession  of  the  goods,  in 
order  to  repay  the  advance  made  to  him  by  the  Gov 
ernor  of  Yarkand. 

On  April  27th  Ilayward  arrived,  and  soon  after 
managed  to  send  a  private  note  to  Shaw,  in  which 
he  spoke  highly  of  the  King's  kindness  to  him,  on 
leaving  Kashgar. 

On  May  llth  Shaw  writes  :  "  During  a  visit  from 
the  Yoozbashee,  I  asked  him  about  my  going,  aird 
represented  the  anxiety  of  my  friends  at  my  long  ab 
sence.  He  replied  that  the  road  was  still  impassable 
on  account  of  the  waters,  and  besides,  a  visit  to  a  great 
King  of  the  Deen-i-Islam  (Mohammedan  faith)  could 
not  be  hurried  over  so ;  it  was  their  custom  to  do 
things  deliberately  with  '  maslahat,  maslahat '  (consul 
tation  and  counsel).  They  could  not  send  me  back  at 


THE  RETURN  TO   TARKAND  247 

a  season  when  I  should  lose  all  my  horses  on  the  road, 
lie.  then  drew  a  picture  of  the  delight  of  my  friends  at 
seeing  me  back  safe,  the  joy  of  the  Lord  Pashah,  and 
concluded  with  representing  a  kind  of  war-dance  by 
which  they  would  celebrate  my  return  !  He  made  me 
laugh  too  much  to  continue  my  complaints,  which  was 
of  course  his  object. 

"  This  morning  also  the  Panjabashee  came  and  said 
lie  had  just  been  told  that  we  should  start  in  a  month's 
time,  and  he  would  go  with  me  as  far  as  Shahidoolla. 
We  had  some  further  talk  about  the  horse  that  had 
been  given  me  in  the  morning.  He  said  the  Governor 
wanted  to  know  whether  I  wanted  another.  I  an 
swered,  i  My  mouth  is  shut,  for  when  I  ask  leave  to  buy 
a  horse,  the  Governor  gives  me  one  instead.  There 
are  several  other  things  I  wanted  to  buy,  such  as 
mules,  a  few  horse-loads  of  silk  as  a  sample,  etc.,  but  I 
am  in  a  fix.  If  I  buy  them  without  asking,  the  Gov 
ernor  will  be  displeased.  If  I  ask  him,  he  will  make 
me  a  present  of  them.  So  shame  keeps  me  silent.' 
He  said,  t  If  you  will  trust  to  me,  I  will  arrange  all 
that  before  you  go.  As  for  the  mules,  I  will  get  them 
for  you  as  if  they  were  for  carrying  loads.  You  can 
give  them  light  burdens  as  far  as  Sanjoo,  and  then 
take  them  on  empty.' 

"  I  do  not  think  that  I  have  yet  described  the 
Toorkee  manner  of  treating  horses,  which  differs  in 
many  respects  from  ours.  As  a  rule,  they  are  kept 
saddled  and  tight-girt  both  by  day  and  night,  and 
many  Toorks  will  not  allow  their  horses  to  lie  down 
at  all  ;  saying  that,  if  they  do  so,  the  corn  settles  in 
their  legs  and  feet,  and  makes  them  lame  !  So  they 


248  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

tie  them  up  short  by  the  head.  At  the  beginning  of 
the  day's  march,  before  the  sun  is  high,  they  are  al 
lowed  a  full  drink  of  water  at  the  first  stream,  but  are 
given  no  more  during  the  day,  or  until  they  have  been 
in  several  hours.  On  coming  in  from  a  journey  or 
ride,  the  horses  are  first  walked  up  and  down  for  two 
or  three  hours  by  small  boys  ;  after  which,  without 
unsaddling  them,  or  even  loosing  the  girths,  they  are 
covered  up  from  head  to  tail  with  several  thick 
horse-cloths,  even  in  the  hottest  wreather,  and  tied  up 
as  I  have  described,  merely  taking  the  bit  out  of 
their  mouths,  but  leaving  it  hanging  under  their 
chins.  After  some  hours  they  are  taken  to  water, 
and  a  little  hay  is  given  them,  and  afterward  their 
corn  ;  but  unless  it  is  still  early,  they  are  not  cleaned 
till  the  next  morning,  as  far  as  I  have  observed.  At 
any  rate,  they  are  riot  touched  ti]l  at  least  five  or  six 
hours  after  they  have  come  in. 

"  In  cleaning,  a  curry-cornb  is  used,  but  afterward, 
instead  of  a  brush,  they  employ  a  small  broom  of 
twigs  similar  to  the  birchen  switch  formerly  so  famil 
iar  to  schoolboys.  With  this  they  switch  the  horse 
all  over  by  quick  motions  of  the  wrist ;  first  of  all, 
the  reverse  way  of  the  hairs,  and  then  the  proper 
way.  This  little  instrument  is  most  effective,  and 
leaves  the  horse  with  a  beautifully  clean  and  glossy 
coat.  The  Toorks  are  most  particular  about  this, 
thrashing  their  grooms  heartily  if  they  detect  the 
least  neglect.  The  master  will  often  test  the  clean 
ness  of  his  horse  with  the  cuff  of  his  white  under- 
robe  or  shirt.  He  wets  this  a  little,  and  rubs  the 
horse's  coat ;  nothing  will  satisfy  him  but  to  be  able 


THE  RETURN   TO   YARKAND  249 

to  -do  this  without  leaving  the  least  mark  on  the  white 
sleeve.  As  a  rule,  horses  here  are  not  shod  except 
for  journeys  in  the  mountains.  But  I  need  not  say 
there  are  no  macadamized  roads  to  batter  their  feet — 
the  whole  country,  roads  included,  being  very  soft 
earth,  ready  to  fly  into  dust." 

As  the  month  of  May  wore  on,  there  were  signs  of 
preparation  for  the  return  journey.  On  the  20th, 
Shaw  reports  :  "  This  morning  the  Yoozbashee  came 
to  bring  me  a  message  from  the  Governor,  that  our 
time  was  now  near,  and  our  horses  should  be  got  ready 
for  the  journey.  Everything  I  wanted  to  buy  I  must 
make  haste  and  get.  He  concluded  by  appealing  to 
me  to  mention  what  presents  I  should  like  the  Gov 
ernor  to  give  me,  as  he  was  my  friend.  I  replied 
that,  according  to  our  customs,  it  was  very  improper 
to  ask  one's  friends  for  presents,  and  I  could  not  do 
so.  He  cried  out  at  this,  (  You  are  not  in  your  own 
country  now,  and  you  must  here  do  as  we  do.'  Iliad 
some  difficulty  in  silencing  my  agent,  who  began 
enumerating  a  lot  of  things  to  be  given  to  me.  How 
ever,  the  Yoozbashee  declared  that  the  Governor 
would  be  offended  if  I  did  not  mention  my  wishes, 
and  started  off,  saying,  'Well,  the  Moonshee  shall  do 
1  maslahat '  (deliberate),  and  tell  the  result  afterward.' 

"  lie  afterward  met  Jooma,  and  told  him  to  get 
fifteen  horses  ready  at  once,  as  we  should  go  in  ten 
days. 

"  Two  days  later,  the  Yoozbashee  took  me  to  see 

the  Governor.     We  begun  to  talk  about  the  heat  of 

the  weather ;  he  said  what  made  it  worse  was  that 

there  was  no  rain  to  cool  the  air,  whereas  in  Andijan, 

17 


250  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

though  it  was  very  hot,  yet  frequent  showers  made 
it  more  bearable.  I  said,  '  I  fancy  the  climate  of  An- 
dijan  is  not  unlike  that  of  my  own  country,  England. 
I  hear  there  is  plenty  of  snow  there  in  winter,  and 
plenty  of  rain  in  summer,  as  with  us.'  '  Just  so,'  he 
replied,  '  England  is  probably  due  west  from  Andi- 
jan,  and  opposite  it,  which  makes  the  climates  simi 
lar.'  I  explained  that  England  was  still  farther  north 
than  Andijan,  nearer  the  pole-star,  which,  seen  from 
my  country,  is  higher  in  the  heavens  than,  from  here. 
'  Indeed,'  he  replied,  with  an  interested  air, '  I  did  not 
know  that.  Which  of  the  seven  climes  is  your  coun 
try  in  ?  What  is  the  length  of  the  day  there,  sixteen 
hours  ? '  I  answered  that  we  had  not  the  same  divi 
sion  into  seven  climes,  as  they  had,  for  we  divided 
the  earth  into  five  zones,  so  I  could  not  tell  which  of 
the  climes  we  belonged  to.  But  on  the  longest  day 
we  have  about  eighteen  or  nineteen  hours  of  daylight 
out  of  the  twenty-four.  lie  held  up  his  hands  at 
this,  and  exclaimed,  '  You  must  be  on  the  extreme 
verge  of  the  fifth  clime.' 

"  He  then  said, '  You  are  the  first  Englishman  that 
I  have  ever  seen,  and  I  am  the  first  Andijanee  that 
you  have  seen.  I  trust  we  shall  be  firm  friends,  and 
our  two  nations  as  well.  You  have  opened  the  door 
of  intercourse  between  us  ;  may  it  never  be  shut.'  I 
replied,  'That  was  the  purpose  for  which  I  came, 
and  as  the  Atalik-Ghazee  bid  me  send  my  servant 
every  year  to  Toorkistan,  so  I  hope  by  that  opportu 
nity  to  hear  every  year  also  of  your  prosperity  and 
good  health.'  lie  answered,  '  Al-hamd-ool-Illah ' 
(Thank  God) '  the  door  is  open,  and  I  trust  it  may  be 


THE  RETURN  TO   YARKAND  251 

as  you  say.'  I  then  told  him  that  I  had  now  been 
absent  a  long  while  from  my  country,  and  rny  friends 
would  be  anxious  about  me;  therefore  I  should  be 
glad  to  get  leave  to  depart  as  soon  as  he  and  the  King 
thought  fit.  He  replied,  l  You  are  our  guest,  and  we 
cannot  say  to  you,  "  Go ; "  on  the  contrary,  we 
should  wish  to  keep  you  with  us  altogether.  For  a 
short  time  longer  the  passes  will  detain  you  ;  but  the 
time  is  near ;  probably  toward  the  end  of  this  moon, 
the  road  will  be  open.  The  merchants  came  and 
asked  me  to  let  them  start  and  go  as  far  as  Shahi- 
doolla,  to  wait  for  the  proper  time  to  cross,  but  I 
would  not  allow  them.  It  is  not  fitting  that  any  one 
should  go  before  you.' 

"  I  then  motioned  for  the  dastar-khan  to  be  re 
moved  (which  had  been  put  before  me  as  usual,  as 
also  repeated  cups  of  tea,  both  to  the  Governor  and 
myself).  The  usual  robe  was  then  brought  in  (two 
this  time,  one  above  the  other),  and  the  Governor, 
rising  up  when  I  did,  said  with  a  laugh,  as  I  put  on 
the  robes,  i  We  have  made  quite  an  Andijanee  of 
you  ;  you  have  taken  our  dress  and  our  manners.'  I 
answered,  '  We  have  a  problem,  that  "  When  you 
are  in  Turkey,  you  must  do  as  the  Turks  do." '  This 
proverb  delighted  him,  as  he,  of  course,  applied  it  to 
the  Central  Asia  Toorks.  As  usual,  he  accompanied 
me  to  the  door,  and  parted  from  me  with  a  dignified 
and  courteous  bow. 

"  I  note  this  conversation  about  the  climes,  as 
showing  the  intelligence  and  knowledge  of  the  man. 
For  an  Asiatic  to  be  aware  (without  European  learn 
ing)  that  greater  distance  northward  is  accompanied 


252  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

by  greater  disparity  between  the  lengths  of  night 
and  of  day,  is  very  unusual  in  my  experience.  His 
division  of  the  world  into  '  climes  '  seems  to  be  regu 
lated  by  the  length  of  the  longest  day,  and  is  there 
fore  purely  a  division  according  to  latitude,  although 
arbitrary  as  to  the  number  fixed  upon." 

On  May  27th,  Ilayward  secretly  sent  Shaw  his 
maps  and  manuscripts,  as  he  heard  that  the  latter 
would  be  sent  off  before  him.  But  the  very  next 
day  Shaw  writes,  in  great  joy :  "  The  Yoozbashee 
came  to  state  that  we  should  start  the  day  after  to 
morrow  !  A  note  from  Ilayward  saying  he  goes  the 
same  day.  Tumult  of  preparations. 

"  I  went  to  see  the  Governor  after  the  second 
prayer  of  the  afternoon.  On  my  asking  whether 
there  was  anything  he  wished  me  to  send  him  from 
India,  he  said  he  was  a  mere  soldier,  and  what  should 
he  care  for  but  guns  !  but  he  desired  my  happiness, 
and  after  that  he  wished  for  guns.  I  sounded  him 
about  the  proposed  envoy  who  was  to  have  gone 
with  me,  but  he  ignores  him  altogether.  lie  says 
I  have  opened  the  door,  and  my  name  and  friend 
ship  is  engraven  in  his  heart  as  on  stone  —  that 
neither  wind  nor  rain  can  efface  it,  and  only  death 
can  destroy  the  inscription." 

And  finally,  on  the  29th  :  "  I  am  busy  in  prepara 
tions.  Concluded  arrangements  with  an  argoon  for 
nine  horses  to  Ladak.  The  Yoozbashee  brought 
presents — two  pieces  of  silk,  a  pair  of  boots,  sugar, 
etc.  lie  said  that  the  Governor  would  be  engaged 
to-morrow  morning,  so  I  had  better  wish  him  good- 
by  through  the  Moonshee  now.  The  latter  went, 


THE  RETURN  TO   TARKAND  253 

arid  gave  the  Governor  my  revolver  as  a  parting  gift. 
In  return  the  Governor  said  he  was  my  friend,  and 
therefore  desired  as  keepsakes  my  own  pocket-knife 
and  my  compass  !  I  sent  them  at  once  ;  of  course 
the  object  was  to  get  hold  of  my  compass.  He  does 
not  know  that  I  have  another ! " 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

CROSSING  THE   KARAKORAM   PASS,    AND  END   OF  THE 
JOURNEY 

OX  the  30th  of  May,  1869,  Shaw  was  despatched 
from  Yarkand,  not  having  been  allowed  to  see 
more  of  the  city  than  on  his  first  visit.  The  horses 
were  not  ready  until  the  middle  of  the  afternoon,  so 
only  seven  or  eight  miles  were  traversed.  The  road 
led  southward  through  a  beautiful  green  country, 
dotted  with  large  farm-houses,  surrounded  by  or 
chards.  In  one  of  these,  which  had  a  court-yard 
covered  with  vines  on  trellis-work,  they  camped  for 
the  night.  Half  an  hour  after  their  arrival  Hay  ward 
and  his  escort  were  announced,  but  the  latter  was 
lodged  in  another  part  of  the  building. 

The  next  morning,  however,  the  two  travellers 
were  allowed  to  meet,  and  thenceforth  they  formed 
but  one  party.  Hay  ward  informed  Shaw  that  he 
had  not  been  permitted  to  enter  Yarkand  either  go 
ing  to  or  returning  from  Kashgar,  but  was  taken 
around  the  city  outside  of  the  walls.  At  the  little 
town  of  Poskyarn,  where  they  stopped  after  a  short 
day's  journey,  they  were  furnished  with  lodgings  in 
side  the  walls.  In  the  evening  a  man  possessed  with 
a  devil  was  brought  to  Shaw  to  be  cured  ! — but  he 
declined  to  undertake  so  serious  a  case. 


CROSSING  THE  KARAKORAM  PASS         255 

-  For  several  days  the  road  lay  through  a  green  and 
fertile  country,  very  beautiful  to  the  eye.  The 
inarches  were  very  short,  to  accommodate  the  con 
venience  of  the  native  officials  who  still  accompanied 
the  travellers,  but  as  the  camping-places  were  usually 
farm-houses,  with  gardens  and  shaded  court-yards, 
and  Shaw  and  Hay  ward  now  took  their  meals  to 
gether,  the  journey  was  very  agreeable.  The  cultiva 
tion  was  rather  rude,  but  there  could  be  no  doubt  of 
the  fertility  of  the  soil  and  the  favorable  character  of 
the  climate.  The  vine  grew  luxuriantly  everywhere, 
and  the  walnut  and  mulberry  trees  were  of  very  large 
size. 

At  Kargalik,  where  they  halted  three  days,  the 
Yoozbashee,  gave  them  an  entertainment  of  music  and 
dancing,  the  band  consisting  of  guitar,  violoncello, 
dulcimer,  and  tamborine.  At  this  place,  on  the  4th 
of  June,  barley  was  ripening,  and  wheat  in  full  ear, 
though  still  green.  Early  nectarines  and  apricots 
were  brought  to  the  travellers.  The  whole  country 
is  irrigated  from  the  mountain-streams,  as  there  is 
very  little  rainfall. 

On  the  6th,  they  advanced  to  Besharik,  only  one 
hour's  ride,  over  a  stony  desert.  The  next  day,  how 
ever,  they  made  twenty-two  miles,  to  Bora,  crossing 
another  stony  tract,  covered  with  rounded  pebbles  and 
sand,  like  a  sea-beach.  The  valley-oasis  of  Bora  was 
beautifully  green  and  fertile  :  maize  was  already  two 
feet  high.  The  valley  is  watered  by  a  small  stream, 
flowing  through  deep  banks  lined  with  reeds.  Shaw 
thus  records  his  journeys,  on  the  8th  and  9th  of 
June : 


256  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

"  We  ascended  from  the  fertile  valley  of  Bora  to 
the  harren  plains  which  slope  down  from  the  moun 
tains,  and  through  which  the  several  streams  have 
cut  their  way,  each  forming  a  sunken  oasis  down 
its  course.  These  sloping  barren  plains,  at  the  foot 
of  the  mountains,  form  a  peculiar  feature  of  the 
country ;  they  are  found  also  on  the  western  side, 
when  we  passed  through  them  from  Kokhrahat  to 
Yang-hissar. 

"  After  winding  for  twelve  miles  through  the  sand 
hills  which  cover  this  plain,  we  reached  the  brink  of 
another  oasis,  into  which  we  descended  to  the  village 
of  Ooee-Taghruk.  It  is  only  about  a  mile  above  the 
village  that  the  little  ravine  or  valley  begins  to  sink 
below  the  level  of  the  plain,  gradually  increasing  its 
depth  till  it  runs  between  cliffs  three  hundred  feet 
high,  being  itself  about  half  a  mile  wide  and  beauti 
fully  cultivated.  The  plain  is  formed  of  water- worn 
stones  (including  pieces  of  granite)  and  sand,  suggest 
ing  the  idea  of  its  having  been  the  beach  of  some  in 
land  sea,  which  may  have  covered  Eastern  Toorkistan 
up  to  the  base  of  the  mountains  which  surrounded  it 
on  three  sides.  The  edges  of  this  sloping  beach  toward 
the  lower  plains  (or  the  bed  of  the  imaginary  sea), 
are  cut  into  ravines  and  broken  ground.  These 
ravines,  for  the  most  part,  contain  only  brushwood  ; 
but  such  of  them  as  extend  far  enough  back,  and 
have  their  source  in  the  mountains,  form  the  lovely 
fertile  oases  of  Bora,  Ooee-Taghruk,  Koshtak,  San- 
joo,  etc.  It  is  decidedly  much  cooler  here.  No  fruit 
is  ripe,  and  the  barley  is  still  green. 

"  The  next  day  we  rode  on  to  Sanjoo.     The  last 


CROSSING   THE  KARAKORAM  PASS         257 

five  miles  we  came  through  sandy  hillocks  gradually 
ascending  to  the  brim,  whence  a  descent  of  eight 
hundred  or  one  thousand  feet  leads  down  into  the 
valley  of  Sanjoo.  We  were  met  half  down  this  de 
scent  by  our  old  friends  the  Alain  Akhoond  (chief - 
priest)  and  two  Kirghiz  head-men.  Dastar-khans 
were  spread  for  us  at  the  entrance  of  the  cultivation. 
We  rode  two  miles  through  houses  and  fields,  down 
the  valley,  crossing  the  river.  Hayward  was  shown 
to  a  place  prepared  for  him  in  a  garden.  I  was  taken 
on  to  the  house  of  Mohammed  Bai  (the  old  man  of 
Sanjoo),  where  I  was  shown  to  a  kind  of  dais,  with 
carpets  and  a  raised  seat,  and  a  tent-roof  overhead. 
Tea  was  poured  out  for  myself  and  the  Yoozbashee 
by  the  son  of  old  Mohammed  Bai,  the  Kirghiz  chiefs 
sitting  on  the  edge  of  the  carpet  and  receiving  tea 
also.  Afterward  I  had  a  visit  from  the  Beg  of 
Khoten,  Mansoor  Khoja,  a  jolly  fat  man,  formerly 
Governor  of  Yarkand  city,  who  fell  into  disgrace  and 
was  imprisoned  for  a  year.  He  was  only  let  out 
about  six  months  ago.  The  house  I  lived  in  at  Yar 
kand  had  been  his.  He  has  been  newly  appointed 
to  Sanjoo,  and  seems  to  think  such  an  office  rather 
below  his  dignity.  On  my  saying  (in  order  to  console 
him)  that  his  district  was  of  high  importance,  being 
the  door  of  communication  between  India  and  Toor- 
kistan,  he  rejoined,  'Then  I  am  the  Ghoolam-i-Dar- 
wazah'  (Slave  of  the  Gate).  He  came  and  sat  with 
me  several  times,  and  when  the  Yoozbashee  was  not 
there,  he  broached  his  grievances  (begging  me  not 
to  mention  them).  '  However,'  he  said,  '  I  do  my 
best  in  my  present  position.  The  late  Beg  (Shereef 


258  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

Khan,  whom  I  had  seen  when  I  passed  through  San- 
joo  before),  4  was  dismissed  and  imprisoned  for  his 
tyranny.  The  peasants  were  half  mined,'  continued 
the  Slave  of  the  Gate,  '  so  I  have  been  trying  to  set 
them  up  again  ;  borrowing  money  and  advancing  it 
to  them  to  buy  cattle,  etc.,  with.' 

"  At  Sanjoo  we  halted  a  day  to  prepare  for  our 
journey  and  load  up  provisions,  etc.  My  host  (old 
Mohammed  Bai)  and  his  sons  were  very  polite.  He 
is  a  rich  old  farmer,  with  a  very  pretty  daughter.  I 
saw  this  damsel  several  times  when  she  came  out  of 
the  house  with  a  jar  on  her  shoulder,  and  accom 
panied  by  a  female  servant  or  slave,  to  fetch  water 
for  the  household.  She  seemed  to  fetch  far  more 
jarfuls  than  could  be  necessary,  and  made  little  op 
portunities  of  lingering  about  the  doorway  and  look 
ing  at  the  English  stranger  and  all  his  wonderful 
arrangements.  I  learned,  afterward,  that  my  Yooz- 
bashee  wras  in  love  with  this  young  lady  (I  quite  ad 
mired  his  taste,  nothing  could  be  prettier  than  her 
dark  eyelashes,  rosy  cheeks,  and  dimpled  chin).  He 
had  asked  old  Mohammed  Bai  to  give  her  to  him  in 
marriage,  but  the  old  man  said  he  wished  his  daughter 
to  marry  a  man  in  his  own  station  of  life,  who  would 
settle  down  near  him,  and  not  a  soldier  who  was  al 
ways  on  horseback,  at  one  moment  on  the  Pamir  and 
the  next  on  the  borders  of  China.  The  Yoozbashee 
hopes  to  persuade  him,  and  I  was  astonished  to  see 
the  alacrity  with  which  my  highly  connected  guar 
dian  got  off  his  horse  and  ran  forward  to  embrace 
the  old  farmer.  But  love  levels  all  distinctions  ap 
parently,  in  Toorkistan  as  well  as  elsewhere." 


CROSSING   THE  KARAKORAM  PASS         259 

.  Leaving  Sanjoo  on  the  12th,  they  took  a  new  route 
to  the  southward,  to  avoid  going  up  the  Sanjoo  River, 
which  was  still  much  swollen.  The  first  day's  jour 
ney  was  along  the  valley  of  a  smaller  stream,  between 
sandy  ridges,  to  a  camp  at  a  solitary  farm-house.  "  On 
starting  the  next  morning,  the  Yoozbashee  called  for 
the  old  moollah,  to  whom  the  house  and  orchard  be 
longed,  and  said  to  him  '  dua  Jcilip  '  (say  a  prayer) ! 
Upon  which  the  old  man  went  down  on  his  knees, 
with  outspread  hands,  everyone  else  outspreading 
theirs  also,  while  he  prayed,  after  which  we  all 
stroked  our  beards,  and  the  Yoozbashee  cried  *  Bar- 
ak-allah,  barak-allah  '  (with  God's  blessing) ;  and  so 
we  rode  away. 

"  Still  following  up  the  stream,  while  it  enters  the 
higher  mountains,  we  came  in  sight  of  the  crest  of 
the  range  at  the  head  of  our  valley.  It  was  covered 
with  snow,  below  which  some  bright-green  grassy 
slopes  extend,  a  great  contrast  to  the  barren  moun 
tains  around.  We  camped  at  the  junction  of  a  val 
ley  leading  away  westward,  at  the  head  of  which  is 
the  small  pass  which  we  were  to  cross  the  next  day, 
and  which  will  lead  us  back  into  the  valley  of  the 
Sanjoo  stream,  but  at  such  a  point  that  we  shall  no 
longer  have  any  difficulty  on  account  of  its  swollen 
state. 

"  On  the  road,  Hayward  often  stops  behind  to  take 

observations.      The  Yoozbashee   seems  to  have   got 

& 

quite  accustomed  to  this  now,  and  says  to  me, '  There 
he  is,  off  again  after  some  new  road.'  They  have  an 
idea  that  his  sole  object  in  exploring  is  to  find  some 
easy  road  into  their  country. 


260  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL   ASIA 

"The  Yoozbashee  is  redoubling  his  attentions  as 
the  time  approaches  for  us  to  part.  To-day  Ixe  gave 
us  some  cold  breakfast  on  our  arrival,  as  our  things 
were  not  up.  lie  tells  us  that  the  Toorks  are  lovers 
of  horses  (ashik). 

"On  the  14th  we  crossed  the  Choo-choo  Pass. 
First  up  the  side  valley  six  miles,  then  an  easy  climb 
up  to  the  Pass,  which  leads  across  a  spur  of  the  range. 
The  descent  is  chiefly  down  a  narrow  gorge,  emerg 
ing  into  a  more  open  valley,  which  leads  to  the  San- 
joo  stream.  We  turned  up  this  stream,  crossing  it 
three  times,  passed  the  old  ruined  wall  which  used  to 
guard  the  valley,  to  a  patch  of  cultivation  and  the  few 
huts  of  Tarn.  We  arrived  about  2  P.M.  Presently 
the  river  rose  suddenly  so  as  to  become  impassable, 
thus  cutting  off  all  our  baggage  from  us.  We  had  tc 
sleep  in  one  of  the  huts  without  bedding,  on  the 
ground,  and  with  our  saddles  for  pillows.  The  Yooz 
bashee  and  his  man  were  firing  at  a  mark  ;  also  a 
Shikaree  (or  hunter)  who  lives  here.  This  man  is 
said  to  be  able  to  shoot  an  apple  off  a  man's  head, 
and  to  have  done  so  the  other  day  at  Khoten  before 
the  king,  who  gave  him  a  considerable  reward. 

"  Our  baggage  rejoined  us  the  next  morning  when 
the  stream  had  diminished  sufficiently.  It  was  still 
quite  high  at  5  A.M.  We  rode  a  few  miles  up  the 
stream,  and  encamped  on  a  grassy  spot  to  consult 
with  the  Kirghiz  about  our  future  movements. 

u  On  the  16th  we  pushed  on  to  a  place  called 
Kicliik  Yelak,  the  '  small  pasture.'  At  five  miles  a 
valley  joins  from  the  right ;  at  eight  miles  the  road 
begins  to  ascend  long  grassy  slopes,  occupying  a 


CROSSING   THE  KARAKORAM  PASS          261 

broad  valley.  At  the  junction  of  a  valley  from  the 
left  we  came  upon  a  Kirghiz  camp,  four  akooees 
pitched  separate  for  myself,  Hay  ward,  Moonshee,  and 
Yoozbashee.  Yoozbashee  told  me  a  story  of  a  small 
Russian  force  near  Chimkend  being  surrounded,  and 
agreeing  to  become  Mussulmans  (!)  in  three  days' 
time.  At  the  end  of  the  three  days  it  was  found 
that  they  had  strongly  entrenched  themselves,  and 
declined  to  come  over  to  the  true  faith. 

"  All  the  Kirghiz  came  out  to  meet  us.  Numerous 
greetings  from  old  acquaintances.  The  Kirghiz  here 
consist  of  twenty-two  households,  which  were  called 
a  yurt  /  he  says  that  the  latter  word  is  not  applied 
to  the  felt  tents,  which  are  called  akooees.  There 
were  no  camels  at  this  place.  A  Kirghiz  akooee 
which  I  measured  was  51  feet  in  circumference,  8 
feet  high  in  the  middle,  and  4  feet  at  the  sides  to  the 
springing  of  the  dome." 

On  June  17th,  Shaw  and  Ilayward  halted  at  the 
foot  of  the  Grim  Dewan,  or  Sanjoo  Pass,  which  the 
former  had  crossed  on  his  way  to  Yarkand,  nearly 
seven  months  previous.  Some  of  the  servants  were 
sent  on  in  advance  with  the  baggage,  which  was 
taken  over  the  pass  on  the  backs  of  Kirghiz  yaks. 
The  next  morning  the  travellers  started  on  yaks  also, 
after  taking  an  affectionate  farewell  of  the  Yooz- 

O 

bashee,  who  embraced  Shaw  almost  with  tears.  Sev 
eral  officers  remained  to  cross  the  pass  with  them. 
"  First,"  says  Shaw,  "  we  went  up  slopes  of  grass, 
surrounded  on  three  sides  by  snow  mountains — a  kind 
of  bay  ;  then  we  turned  off  to  the  south  up  the  ridge 
There  was  no  snow  until  the  very  summit,  though  off 


262  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

the  road  it  was  lying  1,500  feet  below  the  top.  We 
found  more  on  the  southern  descent,  which  was 
slushy  for  1,000  yards.  We  rode  to  the  very  top, 
and  found  the  baggage  on  the  other  side.  Here  we 
took  leave  of  two  more  of  the  officials,  and  went  on 
with  fifteen  yaks  and  five  or  six  Kirghiz.  We  went 
down  the  bed  of  the  stream,  which  was  much  swollen, 
to  a  camping-place  on  the  former  journey. 

"  The  next  morning  (the  19th)  we  descended  to 
the  Karakash  River.  Then  we  breakfasted,  and  then 
walked  twenty  minutes  up-stream  where  deep  water 
runs  against  the  rocky  side,  and  everything  has  to  be 
carried  by  men  for  fifty  yards.  The  horses  were  sent 
round  above.  The  Kirghiz  drove  their  yaks  through 
the  streams,  here  about  forty  yards  wide,  averaging 
two  feet  deep,  running  four  miles  an  hour,  by  experi 
ment.  Another  twenty  minutes'  walk  to  rejoin  the 
horses,  then  one  hour  farther  to  camp  in  grass  and 
bush  jungle. 

"  Here  we  halted  for  a  day,  waiting  for  the  baggage 
to  rejoin  us  from  the  last  stopping-place.  We  also 
shod  the  horses.  An  old  Kirghiz,  seeing  me  with  this 
very  Diary  Book,  asked  whether  it  was  the  Koran.  I 
said  it  was  a  Kitab  (book),  upon  which  he  reverenti 
ally  touched  it  with  his  finger,  which  he  then  kissed. 

"  I  had  a  conversation  with  this  old  Kirghiz.  He 
says  this  tribe  first  lived  in  Sarikol,  but  were  so  per 
secuted  by  the  Kanjootees  (ijaman  Jcajirs,  evil  heath 
ens  he  calls  them),  that  they  migrated  to  Sarikeea* 
twenty  years  ago ;  they  consisted  of  thirty  families. 

*  Sarikeea  is  the  name  given  to  the  pasturages  on  the  upper 
course  of  the  Karakash  River. 


CROSSING   THE  KARAKORAM  PASS         263 

Since  the  Atalik  has  been  in  power,  the  security  now 
enjoyed  in  Sarikol  has  induced  a  fresh  immigration 
of  Kirghiz  from  the  Alai  plains  (in  Khokand),  and 
they  now  number  two  hundred  tents.  Tt  is  ten  or  fif 
teen  days'  ride  from  Shahidoolla  to  Taghdoombash  * 
in  the  Sarikol  district,  and  about  as  far  onward  to 
Andijan  across  the  Pamir.  The  passes  are  low.  There 
is  no  lake  called  Sarikol,  but  one,  twelve  days  round, 
called  Karakul.  The  Pamir  is  covered  with  grass,  and 
abounds  in  wild  animals,  among  which  are  the  big- 
horned  '  arkar '  (Ovis  Poli),  and  its  female,  the 
'  goolja  ; '  they  are  very  shy.  The  Kirghiz  asked  me 
whether  I  had  any  '  Frang  miltek,'  or  Frankish  gun, 
by  which  he  means  a  rifle  (as  I  found  by  his  descrip 
tion)  ;  he  said  he  and  the  other  Kirghiz  were  mad 
upon  them,  and  would  perform  any  service  to  obtain 
one. 

"  On  approaching  the  Fort  of  Shahidoolla,  on  the 
21st,  we  were  met  by  five  soldiers  under  a  Panjaba- 
shee  about  two  miles  out.  They  made  complimentary 
inquiries  after  our  health,  etc.,  and  rode  back  with  us. 
We  crossed  the  river  twice,  and  camped  near  the 
Fort.  There  was  a  little  spitting  rain  in  the  evening ; 
the  snow  was  down  to  1,000  feet  above  the  valley. 

"  On  the  23d  I  started  with  a  few  light  loads,  leav 
ing  my  heavier  things  to  follow.  Hay  ward  did  the 
same.  I  took  my  own  five  horses  and  three  of 
Jooma's.  The  Panjabashee  and  four  soldiers  escorted 
us  for  a  mile  out,  and  then  took  leave  respectfully. 
There  is  plenty  of  grass  at  the  evening's  camp,  under 

*  Taglidoombasli  means  "  the  head  of  mountains."  It  is  the  up 
per  part  of  the  Sarikol  district. 


264  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

an  immense  old  moraine  descending  from  the  snow 
mountains  to  the  east  of  the  valley,  and  plenty  of 
shrubby  wood  also  by  the  stream. 

"  The  next  day's  march,  to  Chibra,  was  eight  and  a 
quarter  hours,  or  fifteen  miles. 

"  On  the  25th  we  went  on  from  Chibra  to  Chad- 
artash.  For  six  miles  we  went  down  the  broad  val 
ley  south,  the  mountains  on  either  hand  gradually 
diminishing  in  height  till  they  sank  into  the  plain  or 
high  table-land  through  which  an  almost  dry  river 
bed  cut  its  course,  twenty  or  thirty  feet  deep. 
Thence  turning  S.  S.  W.  we  had  a  full  view  of  the 
high  snow  mountains  opposite  (Karakoram),  of  which 
we  had  been  seeing  more  and  more  peaks  ever  since 
Chibra.  Ascending  the  level  of  the  table-land  on  our 
right  we  saw  a  cut  in  the  range  S.  S.  W.  This  leads 

O  C5 

to  the  Karakoram  Pass.  Farther  to  the  left,  snowy 
mountains  come  round  (bordering  the  upper  Karak- 
ash),  getting  more  and  more  rounded,  though  still 
snowy,  till  they  meet  the  Kuen  Lun  or  Sooget  Range 
behind  us.  This  range,  a  high  snowy  one,  faces  the 
Karakoram,  being  about  parallel  and  more  regular  as 
we  see  the  actual  range,  while  of  the  Karakoram  we 
only  see  the  snowy  buttresses,  not  the  actual  water 
shed  :  one  is  an  army  in  line,  the  other  is  an  army  in 
parallel  columns,  of  which  we  can  only  see  the  heads. 
The  whole  space  to  our  left  is  a  high  irregular  table 
land,  sloping  up  for  thirty  miles  or  so  to  the  moim 
tains  to  the  east,  which  bound  the  Upper  Karaknsh. 
"Through  these  mountains  a  pass  is  visible  south 
ward,  between  a  rocky  peak  to  the  south  and  a  high 
double  snowy  mountain  to  the  north.  This  high 


CROSSING   THE  KARAKORAM  PASS         265 

table-land  which  I  have  mentioned  is  called  the 
<  Dubsa  Sergot  or  Sertkol ; '  it  appears  utterly  bar 
ren.  A  broad  almost  dry  river-bed  issues  from  it 
and  unites  at  our  feet  with  a  similar  one  from  the 
Karakara  Pass  opening,  and  with  the  one  we  have 
followed  down  from  Chibra.  The  three  go  off  to 
gether  north-westward,  forming  the  Yarkand  Biver 
(which  here  has  but  little  water,  scarcely  flowing,  so 
gentle  is  the  slope  of  the  broad  shingly  bed).  Farther 
on  this  appears  to  sink  deeper,  and  to  become  a  kind 
of  ravine  between  the  barren  spurs  sent  out  from  the 
Sooget  snowy  range  to  the  north,  and  one  from  the 
Karakoram  on  the  south.  Then  the  character  of  the 
country  seems  to  change  from  the  open  plateau  on 
which  we  now  are.  Here  one  is  reminded  of  views 
of  Iceland,  so  close  does  the  snow  of  the  mountain 
sides  come  down  to  the  plains.  These  mountains,  al 
though  probably  none  less  than  18,000  feet,  seem 
mere  hills,  so  high  is  the  plateau  from  which  they 
rise.  The  contrast  between  the  view  east  and  the 
view  west  is  remarkable. 

"  Descending  into  the  shingly  bed  again,  we  turned 
toward  the  Karakoram,  though  the  difference  be 
tween  our  former  descent  and  our  present  ascent 
was  scarcely  perceptible.  After  a  couple  of  miles 
from  the  turn  S.  S.  W.  we  cross  the  shingly  bed  from 
the  Dubsa  Sergot.  Here  it  was  evident  that  it  came 
from  the  pass  of  the  Karakash,  which  hence  bore  S. 
E.  The  farthest  point  to  which  we  could  trace  the 
Yarkand  River  bore  hence  N.  W.  by  W.  Four 
miles  farther,  a  few  dead  horses,  in  a  side  bed, 

marked  the  halting-place  called  Malikshah.     Here, 
18 


266  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

on  the  table-land  to  the  left,  we  saw  six  white  bucks 
(Tibet  antelope).  Beyond  this  the  river-bed  became 
entirely  dry,  and  we  marched  up  its  interminable 
plains  for  eleven  miles,  till  some  low  spurs  from  the 
Karakoram  formed  a  kind  of  portal,  through  which 
we  entered  the  mountains  again  ;  this  is  Wahabjilga. 
Thence,  through  a  broad  mountain  valley  three 
miles  S.  W.  by  S.  to  a  solitary  rock  in  a  grass-plot 
standing  in  the  middle  of  the  shingly  bed,  which 
here  has  a  little  water  in  it.  The  slopes  near  have  a 
little  Tibet  spiky  grass ;  this  is  Chadar-tash  (tent- 
stone)  where  we  camped.  No  water  or  grass  between 
Malikshah  and  this. 

"  The  next  day  we  made  only  one  and  a  half  hours 
=  5  miles.  To  the  east  of  Chadartash  a  broad 
valley  plain  leads  to  an  apparent  Pass  through  snowy 
downs  about  fifteen  miles  off.  This  Pass  bears  S.  E. 
by  S.,  and  probably  leads  to  the  Upper  Karakash 
also.  Hay  ward  means  to  try  this  route,  so  here  we 
part.  Starting  I  passed  one  of  those  large  ice-sheets 
which  are  common  in  these  parts,  formed  by  the  re 
peated  floodings  and  freezings  of  the  stream  in  flat 
parts  of  its  bed.  At  a  mile  from  Chadartash  I  ob 
tained  a  view  of  the  Sooget  Pass  through  an  open 
ing.  Halted  on  a  slope  with  a  little  grass  at  a  place 
where  the  bed  of  the  stream  forms  a  little  plain  of 
shingle  surrounded  by  red  hills,  just  before  the 
entrance  of  some  valley  among  big  snow  mountains. 
They  say  there  is  no  grass  farther  up,  and  the  Pass 
is  still  distant.  Went  up  a  ridge  three  miles,  to  get 
a  better  view. 

"  On  Sunday,  June  27th,  we  made  a  halt.     In  the 


CROSSING   THE  KARAKORAM  PASS         267 

morning  the  mule  and  the  gray  horse  (Yoozbashee) 
were  missing.  I  sent  out  in  all  directions.  Yoosaf 
on  the  other  gray,  after  hunting  about  for  the  tracks, 
was  suddenly  seen  to  go  off  straight  down  the  valley 
like  an  old  hound  that  has  found  the  scent.  I  found 
the  two  tracks  leading  that  way,  after  vainly  search 
ing  all  the  other  directions  myself.  I  sent  two 
others  after  Yoosaf  on  horseback  with  nosebags,  and 
food  for  the  men.  Presently  comes  Hayward's  Ar- 
goon,  saying  Hayward's  white  horse  is  dead,  and  my 
two  went  past  Chadartash  at  daybreak !  I  scolded 
him  for  not  turning  them  (Hayward  suggested  in  a 
note  that  I  should  give  him  a  flogging).  I  also  gave 
him  a  few  spare  nails,  Ilayward  not  having  a  suffi 
cient  supply  for  his  horses'  shoes. 

"  The  following  day  I  was  still  obliged  to  halt,  as 
neither  men  nor  horses  have  turned  up.  It  was  a 
frightful  trial  of  patience.  I  counted  remains  of 
eighteen  horses  lying  about  the  camping  -  ground 
within  a  radius  of  100  yards. 

u  All  along  the  road  at  every  few  hundred  yards 
you  find  a  skeleton,  while  the  halting-places  are 
crowded  with  them.  At  night  we  hear  the  howl 
ing  of  wolves  who  haunt  this  road.  They  are  prob 
ably  now  expecting  the  opening  of  the  horse  season. 

"  The  boy  Abdulla  came  back  at  3  P.M.,  saying  he 
had  followed  the  tracks  of  the  mule,  etc.,  nearly  to 
Chibra.  Yoosaf  had  evidently,  from  the  tracks,  tried 
several  times  to  catch  her,  but  in  vain.  They  must 
all  have  gone  over  the  Pass,  where  they  will  come 
across  my  caravan,  etc.  I  determined  to  start  to 
morrow  in  any  case,  if  possible." 


268  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

"Here  ends  my  diary,  for  the  difficulties  of  the 
road  left  me  no  more  leisure,  even  to  jot  down  a  few 
lines  at  night." 

Early  in  1870,  after  his  return  to  England  from 
this  most  daring  and  successful  journey,  Mr.  Shaw 
was  appointed  by  the  Government  as  one  of  a  com 
mission  to  be  despatched  on  a  friendly  mission  to  the 
Atalik-Ghazee.  He  therefore  immediately  returned 
to  India,  joined  the  other  members  of  the  party  in 
Tibet,  and  in  company  with  them  made  a  second 
visit  to  Yarkand.  Mr.  Forsythe,  formerly  British 
Resident  at  Leh,  was  one  of  the  party,  and  his  ob 
servations  of  the  latitude,  longitude,  and  elevation  of 
various  points  in  Central  Asia,  together  with  those 
made  by  Mr.  Hayward,  materially  corrected  our  for 
mer  geography  of  those  regions. 

Mr.  Hayward,  from  whose  reports  so  much  was 
expected,  was  murdered  early  in  1870,  at  the  foot  of 
the  Darkot  Pass,  in  Chitral,  a  region  hitherto  unvis- 
ited  by  any  European,  lying  beyond  Gilgit,  toward 
the  sources  of  the  Oxus,  not  far  from  the  point  where 
the  Belor  Dagh,  the  Hindoo  Koosh  and  the  Mag 
Dagh  (or  Karakoram)  chains  unite  and  form  the 
great  table-land  of  Pamir. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

THE  CONQUEST  OF  KHIVA 

THE  early  months  of  the  year  1873  witnessed  the 
successful  invasion  of  Western  Turkestan  by 
the  arms  of  Eussia.  Though  the  territory  thus  added 
to  the  dominion  of  the  Czar  lies  without  the  region 
to  which  this  volume  is  devoted,  the  importance  of 
the  conquest,  as  regards  both  the  present  political 
and  social  condition  of  Turkestan,  and  the  future  de 
velopment  of  Russian  policy  in  Central  Asia,  fully 
justifies  the  addition  here  of  a  brief  chapter  touching 
its  conception  and  conduct. 

Russia's  method  of  absorbing  the  territory  of  her 
Asiatic  neighbors  is  well  known.  It  is  the  old  story 
of  the  wolf  and  the  lamb  and  the  muddied  stream, 
only  in  this  case  the  lamb  is  a  wolf,  and  the  wolf  a 
bear.  The  stronger  disturbs  the  stream,  blames, 
then  devours  the  weaker. 

Professedly  seeking  only  a  peaceful  and  civiliz 
ing  influence  among  the  half-civilized  tribes  along 
her  borders,  Russia  persistently  advances  her  pow 
er,  chiefly  under  the  cover  of  commercial  treaties, 
which,  if  rejected  or  broken,  are  speedily  followed 
by  more  stringent  measures  for  the  protection  of 
trade.  By  such  tactics  the  Khanat  of  Kokand,  in 
the  rich  valley  of  the  Syr  Daria,  was  in  1875-76 


270  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

brought  under  the  dominion  of  the  Empire ;  while 
Bokhara  and  even  more  distant  states  have  been 
forced  to  reconcile  themselves  to  "friendly"  inter 
course  with  her.  Khiva,  however,  had  persisted  in 
maintaining  a  hostile  attitude.  It  preferred  robbery 
to  legitimate  commerce,  and  would  not  abandon  its 
predatory  habits.  Bands  of  marauding  Khivans 
overran  their  Kirghiz  neighbors  who  were  under  the 
protection  of  Hussia.  Khivan  emissaries  enticed  the 
Kirghiz  to  rebel  against  their  protectors ;  and  in 
the  diplomatic  intercourse  which  ensued  the  Khivan 
government  was  capricious  and  disrespectful  in  its 
treatment  of  the  Governor-General  of  Russian  Tur 
kestan. 

For  these  and  other  similar  reasons  Russia  claimed 
that  it  could  not  do  otherwise  than  take  vigorous 
measures  to  bring  the  contumacious  government  and 
people  to  reason — in  other  words,  make  a  new  at 
tempt  to  carry  out  certain  designs  against  Khiva 
which  Russia  has  cherished  for  nearly  two  centuries. 

The  first  essay  toward  the  annexation  of  Khiva 
was  made  as  early  as  1717,  by  Peter  the  Great,  in 
response,  it  was  said,  to  repeated  application  made 
by  the  Khivan  rulers,  Shah  .Niaz  and  his  successor; 
to  take  the  Khanat  under  Russian  protection.  An 
expedition  well  manned  but  badly  commanded  was 
despatched  from  the  mouth  of  the  Ural,  and  after  a 
successful  march  almost  to  the  gates  of  Khiva,  was 
entrapped  by  specious  professions  of  friendship  and 
submission,  and  every  man  treacherously  put  to 
death. 

The  great  events  which  agitated  not  only  Russia 


CONQUEST  OF  KHIVA  271 

but  the  whole  of  Europe  during  the  ensuing  century 
gave  the  Khivans  a  long  respite  from  Russian  ven 
geance. 

In  1839  a  second  expedition  was  sent  against  the 
Khanat,  but  it  proved  a  disastrous  failure. 

The  campaign  that  ended  in  the  fall  of  Khiva  was 
projected  toward  the  close  of  1872.  The  following 
spring  three  columns  of  invasion  were  organized  ; 
one  to  start  from  the  southeastern  extremity  of  the 
Caspian  Sea,  near  the  mouth  of  the  river  Atrek,  and 
attack  the  Khanat  from  the  west ;  another  to  march 
from  Orenburg  around  the  northern  shore  of  the 
Caspian,  across  the  country  by  the  sea  of  Aral  to 
Kungrad,  and  enter  the  Khanat  from  the  north  ; 
the  third,  under  the  command  of  the  Governor- 
General  of  Russian  Turkestan,  to  leave  the  neigh 
borhood  of  Tashkend  and  assail  the  Khivans  from 
the  east ;  the  several  detachments  to  unite  before 
Khiva  and  pass  under  the  superior  command  of 
General  Kaufmann,  the  leader  of  the  division  from 
the  east. 

But  two  of  the  three  armies  took  active  part  in 
the  campaign.  The  column  which  left  Tchikishlar 
near  the  Atrek  made  a  gallant  but  vain  struggle  with 
heat  and  thirst  for  several  weeks.  Both  men  and  ani 
mals  succumbed  to  the  burning  climate,  and,  too 
weak  to  return  to  the  place  of  starting,  were  taken 
to  Krasnoodsk,  near  the  ancient  mouth  of  the  Oxus, 
where  they  arrived  in  a  miserable  condition  toward 
the  last  of  May.  Though  defeated  by  the  elements 
this  detachment  contributed  not  a  little  to  the  suc 
cessful  issue  of  the  invasion  by  preventing  the  Khi- 


272  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

vans  from  recruiting  their  ranks  from  the  warlike 
tribes  of  the  southwestern  steppes. 

The  Orenburg  detachment  arrived  at  Kungrad  in 
the  latter  part  of  May.  The  Khivans  made  a  stand 
at  Chud jeili,  but  were  defeated  and  fled  southward, 
hotly  pursued  by  the  Russians,  until  they  reached 
the  fortress  of  Mangyt.  They  were  again  defeated 
on  June  1st,  and  were  retreating  toward  their  capi 
tal  when  it  fell  before  the  successful  advance  of  the 
division  under  General  Kaufmann,  which  after  a  se 
vere  march  and  much  fighting  had  crossed  between 
the  deserts  of  Kyzyl  Kum  and  Batkak  Kum,  and  en 
tered  the  Khanat  from  the  northeast. 

As  the  victorious  Russians  approached  the  capital 
the  Khan  sent  messages  announcing  his  intention  to 
surrender  both  the  city  and  the  entire  Khanat,  but 
fled  without  waiting  for  a  reply.  The  gates  of  the 
city  were  thrown  open  and  the  Russians  entered,  on 
June  10th,  without  firing  a  shot. 

The  next  day  being  the  anniversary  of  the  birth 
of  Peter  the  Great,  divine  service  was  performed 
with  imposing  ceremony  on  the  public  square  of  the 
conquered  city,  in  honor  of  the  great  Czar,  the  first 
to  attempt  the  conquest  then  completed,  and  in  mem 
ory  of  the  Russian  soldiers  fallen  in  the  several  Khi- 
van  campaigns. 

Soon  recovering  from  his  fright,  the  Khan  re 
turned  to  his  fallen  capital,  accompanied  by  his  chief 
ministers,  and  formally  tendered  his  submission.  In 
accordance  with  Russian  usage  he  was  restored  to  his 
position  as  ruler,  a  Russian  Council  of  administration 
being  appointed  for  the  period  of  Russian  occupation. 


CONQUEST  OF  KHIVA  273 

Khiva  fallen,  the  question  at  once  arose,  what 
would  Russia  do  with  it  ? 

From  the  inception  of  the  campaign  the  Russian 
government  protested  that  the  permanent  occupation 
of  the  Khanat  was  in  no  way  contemplated  ;  that  the 
country  would  be  promptly  evacuated  as  soon  as  the 
offending  people  had  learned  the  lesson  the  expedi 
tion  was  intended  to  convey.  The  history  of  Rus 
sian  conquest  in  Asia  shows  how  such  professions  are 
to  be  understood.  As  observed  by  an  English  mili 
tary  critic,  while  the  expedition  was  yet  toiling  over 
the  burning  steppes,  Russia  does  nothing  hurriedly. 
Having  captured  Khiva,  she  may  remain  there  for 
years,  always  professing  her  intention  to  retire  in  a 
short  time,  but  busily  occupied  all  the  while  in  prep 
arations  for  an  advance.  This  has  been  her  strategy 
all  along  ;  and  thus  her  frontier  has  been  steadily 
pushed  forward. 

The  result  of  the  Russian  conquest  was  the  reduc 
tion  of  Khiva  to  a  vassal  state  with  a  native  Khan  as 
nominal  ruler.  The  Khan  holds  his  office  on  the 
sufferance  of  the  Tzar ;  and  the  Khanate  is,  to  all  in 
tents  and  purposes,  a  Russian  province. 

The  Khanat  of  Khiva  occupies  the  region  around 
the  lower  valley  of  the  Amu  Daria— the  ancient 
Oxus — the  principal  river  of  Turkestan.  Very  little 
was  known  of  the  country  previous  to  its  conquest  by 
Russia,  and  for  that  little  we  were  indebted  chiefly  to 
the  adventurous  Yambery,  who  visited  Khiva  in  the 
disguise  of  a  dervish.  Wherever  watered  by  canals 
from  the  river,  the  soil  is  extremely  productive ;  be 
yond,  on  every  side  are  barren  steppes,  traversed  by 


274  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

few  lines  of  travel,  and  overrun  by  nomadic  tribes. 
The  people  of  the  towns  are  degenerate  followers  of 
Mohammed,  ignorant,  bigoted,  and  brutal. 

Next  to  a  debased  religion,  the  heaviest  curse 
upon  the  people  of  this  region  has  been  an  atrocious 
system  of  slavery,  the  cause  of  endless  warfare,  pov 
erty,  and  misery.  This,  thanks  to  Russian  conquest, 
is  at  an  end.  The  Russians  were  scarcely  established 
in  Khiva  when  the  Khan,  "  as  a  mark  of  gratitude 
for  the  consideration  shown  him,"  promulgated  a 
decree  abolishing  slavery  forever.  Many  thousand 
Persian  captives  were  thus  set  free  from  the  worst  of 
bondage,  to  remain  as  Khivan  citizens  or  return  at 
will  to  their  own  homes. 


CHAPTER   XIX. 

ACROSS    THIBET 

SINCE  the  events  recorded  in  preceding  chapters, 
Central  Asia  has  been  further  redeemed  from 
its  condition  of  a  terra  incognita  by  the  explorations 
of  several  adventurous  travellers.  The  Englishmen, 
Dalgleish  and  Carey,  and  the  Russian  officer  Prje- 
valsky,  explored  new  regions  in  Great  Thibet ;  and  in 
1889-90,  the  celebrated  French  traveller  and  explorer 
Gabriel  Bonvalot,  accompanied  by  Prince  Henry  of 
Orleans  and  Father  Dedeken,  a  Belgian  missionary, 
succeeded  in  crossing  the  whole  of  Thibet  from  the 
Siberian  frontier  to  Tonquin,  a  route  which  took  the 
adventurous  Frenchman  and  his  companions  over 
much  ground  hitherto  untrodden  by  European  feet. 

On  his  return  M.  Bonvalot  published  an  extremely 
interesting  account  of  their  journey,  in  his  own 
language,  a  valuable  addition  to  the  world's  knowl 
edge  of  the  region  treated  of,  that  was  promptly 
translated  into  English  by  C.  B.  Pittman.  From 
this  very  excellent  book  "  Across  Thibet,"  we,  by 
permission  of  the  publishers,  The  Cassell  Publishing 
Company,  quote  from  the  more  interesting  and  novel 
pages  of  M.  Bonvalot's  narrative  : 

"  Meanwjiile  we  had  to  recruit  our  men  at  Djarkent 
on  the  frontier  of  Siberia.  This  was  most  difficult, 


276  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

for  here  we  could  only  secure  men  very  much  below 
the  mark,  and  not  at  all  built  for  a  long  journey. 

"  Prince  Henry,  Father  Dedeken,  llachmed,  Bar- 
tholomeus,  and  myself  form  the  nucleus  of  the  ex 
pedition.  We,  too,  have  an  interpreter  named  Ab 
dullah,  who  speaks  Chinese  and  Mogul,  who  accom 
panied  the  celebrated  Prjevalsky.  He  seems  to  be 
an  honest  sort  of  fellow,  but  his  vanity,  his  boastful- 
ness,  and  his  talkativeness  make  us  very  uneasy. 
His  account  of  what  he  went  through  in  the  Tsai- 
dame  alarms  our  followers,  and  he  seems  bent  upon 
dissuading  us  from  undertaking  anything  out  of  the 
beaten  tracks.  It  must  be  added  that  the  Kussian 
Consul  at  Kuldja  is  not  much  more  encouraging,  and 
when  Prince  Henry  tells  him  we  are  going  to  try  to 
reach  Ba-Tang  *  he  smiles  incredulously,  and  advises 
him  not  to  be  lured  on  by  that  idea." 

"  September  12th. — To-day  the  small  European 
colony  kindly  escorts  us  to  the  gate  of  the  town 
(Kuldja),  and  cordially  wishes  us  a  safe  journey  and 
happy  return  home.  And  so,  at  last,  we  find  our 
selves  in  the  saddle.  We  first  make  in  an  easterly 
direction,  but  change  our  course  as  soon  as  we  have 
crossed  the  Tien-Chan,  as  it  is  Tonquin  that  we  have 
in  view.  Shall  we  ever  get  there,  and,  if  so,  by  what 
route  ?  There  is  all  the  old  previously  known  con 
tinent  to  cross,  the  least  known  portion  of  China, 
Thibet  and  its  highlands,  the  deserts  and  the  deep 
rivers,  to  say  nothing  of  the  human  beings,  who  look 
upon  every  stranger  as  an  enemy." 

"After  getting  quit  of  the  dust,  which  reminds 
*  Near  the  Tonquin  border. 


ACROSS  THIBET  277 

^me  of  Turkestan,  the  soil,  the  landscape  and  the 
cultivation  of  the  plain  recall  the  neighborhood  of 
Samarkand  and  Tashkendt.  The  beardless  faces, 
the  sunken  eyes,  and  the  long  dresses  of  the  men 
show  that  one  is  in  China." 

"  The  Chinese  authorities  have  succeeded  in  em 
bodying  a  certain  number  of  Kirghiz,  in  registering 
them,  so  to  speak.  Thus  we  observed  that  the  horse 
men  whom  we  meet  wear  around  their  necks  a  small 
tablet  in  a  felt  bag.  When  I  ask  what  that  means 
I  am  told  that  for  some  time  past  every  Kirghiz  who 
is  going  into  the  town  must  first  appear  before  his 
leader  and  ask  him  for  one  of  these  tablets,  upon 
which  his  name  is  written  in  Turkish,  in  Chinese, 
and  in  Mogul.  It  is  a  passport  which  enables  him  to 
move  about  freely  in  the  bazaars,  and  in  times  of 
disturbance  any  Kirghiz  caught  without  it  is  arrested 
by  the  Chinese  soldiers  and  visited  with  the  most 
terrible  punishments.  On  returning  to  his  tribe  the 
traveller  has  to  return  the  passport  to  his  chief,  and 
in  this  way  it  is  possible  to  ascertain  who  are  absent, 
and  to  exercise  some  sort  of  police  control  in  the 
mountains.  These  men5  riding  about  with  the  tablet 
flapping  against  their  chests,  enable  one  to  realize  the 
enormous  power  of  an  administration  when  opposed 
to  the  weakness  of  private  interests  without  cohe 
sion." 

"  September  19th.— Some  Kirghiz  who  to-day  of 
fered  us  hospitality,  declared  them  selves  to  be  the 
happiest  of  men.  They  have  water  in  plenty ;  they 
sow  their  corn  at  the  foot  of  the  mountains,  and  find 
an  abundance  of  grass  in  the  plains  for  their  flocks 


278  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

and  herds.  They  do  not  run  short  of  wood,  for  the 
banks  of  the  Kungez  are  crowded  with  thick  plan 
tations,  where  the  willow,  the  poplar,  the  apple-tree 
(with  small  and  sharp-flavored  fruits),  the  pepper- 
tree,  the  apricot  tree,  hemp,  and  licorice-plant  and 
hop-vines  grow  wild.  These  Kirghiz  formerly  lived 
on  Russian  territory  in  the  neighborhood  of  Lep- 
sinsk,  and  crossed  over  to  Chinese  soil  because  they 
had  no  routes  for  their  flocks.  They  pay  the  Chi 
nese  a  tax  of  ten  per  cent.  They  are  very  cheerful, 
well  fed,  hearty,  and  with  plenty  of  color,  like  all 
who  live  in  the  clear  mountain  air." 

"  September  20th. — We  take  leave  of  these  Kirg 
hiz,  the  last  we  shall  see,  their  tribes  not  extending 
farther  east.  Their  chief,  named  Sasan,  is  very 
proud  of  the  Russian  medal  which  he  wears  around 
his  neck,  and  of  the  blue  button  in  his  hat,  which  in 
dicates  his  Chinese  rank.  He  accompanied  us 
through  the  reed-beds,  and  before  wishing  us  all 
sorts  of  good  luce  recommends  to  our  favorable  no 
tice  five  men  of  his  tribe  whom  we  may  encounter  in 
the  vicinity  of  Yulduz.  He  warns  us  that  when  they 
see  us  they  will  take  us  for  Chinese  and  make  off, 
but  he  begs  us  not  to  fire  on  them  or  do  them  any- 
harm.  We  at  once  inferred  that  Sasan's  friends 
are  Barantachis — that  is  to  say,  persons  addicted  to 
~baranta,  the  Turkish  word  for  horse-stealing." 

The  Chinese  governor  of  the  province  of  Hi  pro 
vided  the  expedition  with  two  native  guides.  On 
September  24th  these  returned,  and  their  places 
were  taken  by  two  Torgutes,  or  Buddhist  inhabitants 
of  the  country.  These  guided  them  over  mountain 


ACROSS  THIBET  279 

passes,  where,  as  indicating  the  peculiar  religions 
ideas  of  the  country,  large  inscriptions  could  be  seen 
on  the  sides  of  the  mountains,  sacred  sayings  of  the 
Buddhists,  which  true  believers  were  supposed  to  be 
able  to  read  at  the  distance  of  several  miles.  The 
travellers  had  never  before  seen  such  enormous  let 
ters,  so  large,  M.  Bonvalot  narrates,  that  uall  the 
slopes  of  the  Tien-Chan  would  scarcely  be  sufficient 
to  print  a  whole  book." 

After  several  days'  march  the  country  of  the  Mon 
golian  Torgutes  is  left  behind,  and  the  party  encount 
er  communities  of  Mohammedan  Turks,  over  whom 
the  narrator  grows  enthusiastic.  He  writes  : 

"  A  number  of  tall,  well-set-up  men,  with  black 
bushy  beards,  come  round  our  bivouac  ;  they  are  the 
first  we  have  seen  since  leaving  Siberia  and  Kuldja. 
They  enter  into  conversation  with  our  men  in  Turk 
ish,  greeting  them  in  the  Mohammedan  fashion,  and 
one  of  them  at  once  makes  off  and  speedily  re 
turns  with  some  melons,  which  recall  those  of  Turk 
estan  by  their  oblong  shape  and  delicious  taste.  We 
all  of  us — French,  Russian,  Tarantchis,  Kirghiz,  and 
Uzbegs — are  pleased  at  this  meeting  with  men  whom 
we  feel  to  be  closer  to  us  than  the  Mongolians.  We 
feel  as  if  we  had  met  some  old  acquaintances,  and 
a  very  merry  evening  is  passed.  If  the  principle 
of  nationalities — determined  by  the  unity  of  the  lan 
guage —  ever  prevails  among  those  who  speak  Turk 
ish,  if  a  kingdom  be  constituted  out  of  the  scattered 
members  of  this  great  nation,  the  monarch  or  the 
caliph  of  it  will  command  a  countless  host  of  valiant 
warriors.  But  they  would  be  scattered  over  more 


280  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

than  three-fourths  of  the  surface  of  the  Old  World, 
and  it  would  be  difficult  to  mobilize  them  in  time  of 
war." 

M.  Bonvalot  gives  an  interesting  insight  into  the 
career  and  end  of  "  Yakoob  Beg,"  the  Mohammed 
Yakoob,  or  Atalik-Ghazee,  of  Kashgar,  who  figured 
so  prominently  in  the  experiences  of  Mr.  Shaw.  On 
October  5th  the  party  reached  the  territory  over 
which  the  Atalik-Ghazee  ruled  during  the  visit  of 
Shaw  and  Hay  ward  in  1868. 

"  Before  getting  near  to  the  Kutche-Darya,  upon  a 
height  commanding  a  full  view  of  the  plain,  we  could 
distinguish  the  remains  of  a  fort  of  dry  brick,  built 
by  Yakoob  the  '  blessed  one,'  also  named  the  '  dancer' 
by  the  people  of  Ferghana.  This  man  was  made  in 
the  mould  to  do  great  things,  and  Prjevalsky,  the 
celebrated  Russian  traveller,  was  struck  with  his  in 
telligence  when  he  had  an  interview  with  him  at 
Kourla  in  1877.  The  good  fortune  of  Yakoob  was 
prodigious,  though  his  rise  was  slow,  inasmuch  as  he 
was  a  man  of  mature  age  when  he  became  master  of 
Kashgar  and  Chinese  (Eastern)  Turkestan.  During 
the  few  years  that  he  governed  this  country  he  dis 
played  no  ordinary  activity,  covering  it  with  useful 
buildings,  tracing  canals,  and  organizing  an  army  after 
the  European  model,  having  recruited,  through  the  in 
termediary  of  the  Sultan,  officers  in  all  countries  of 
Europe.  Several  came  from  Turkey,  and  a  member 
of  the  present  (1890)  French  Chamber  of  Deputies 
was  on  the  point  of  being  employed  by  Yakoob  Beg. 
Heaven  only  knows  what  would  have  happened  if 
this  hardy  Uzbeg  had  not  been  checked  in  his  career. 


AOXOSS  THIBET  281 

He  would  certainly  have  got  together  the  "  twelve 
thousand  good  soldiers  "  whom  Lord  Hastings  in  his 
day  considered  sufficient  for  the  conquest  of  China 
(this  was  Prjevalsky's  estimate  also  of  what  would  be 
required),  and  we  should  have  witnessed  the  constitu 
tion  of  a  Turko-Mongolian  state,  which  would  have 
extended  from  the  Terek-Davan  to  the  north  of  the 
Pamir,  to  the  Gulf  of  Petchili.  But  Allah  had  de 
cided  that  Yakoob  was  not  to  go  beyond  Kourla,  and 
it  was  here  that  he  closed  his  interesting  career  in  the 
fortress  built  by  him,  which  still  exists.  He  died  of 
poison  administered  by  his  Prime-Minister,*  to  whom 
the  Chinese  made  alluring  promises,  which  they  took 
good  care  not  to  keep." 

On  October  6th,  the  expedition  reached  the  town  of 
Kourla,  where  the  Chinese  officials  made  every  effort, 
short  of  resorting  to  actual  force,  to  prevent  them  con 
tinuing  on  their  way.  A  show  of  firmness,  however, 
overcame  the  opposition,  and  the  travellers  made  their 
way  through  a  level  and  watery  country  toward  Lob 
Nor.  They  found  a  mixed  population,  "  with  noses  and 
eyes  of  all  shapes  and  colors,  as  in  any  large  town  of 
the  West.  I  detect  some  regular  Kirghiz,  thick-set, 
with  scarcely  perceptible  eyes,  salient  cheek-bones, 
and  scanty  beards ;  Sarthians  with  finer  figures,  and 
black,  bushy  beards,  while  gray  eyes  are  not  rare." 

Day  after  day  they  followed  along  the  river  Tarim, 
a  stream  that  flows  along  without  any  bed,  so  that  it 
spreads  over  a  wide  extent  of  country,  forming  every- 

*It  would  be  interesting  to  know  whether  the  Prime-Minister 
referred  to  was  Mr.  Shaw's  old  friend,  the  Shaghawal  of  Yarkand, 
but  M.  Bonvalot  throws  no  further  light  on  the  subject. — ED. 
19 


282  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

where  numbers  of  shallow  lakes  and  marshes.  As 
they  penetrated  farther  east,  toward  Lob  Nor,  the 
Tariin  flowed  through  a  salt  desert,  and  the  growth 
of  the  swamps  was  inhabited  by  wild-boars,  antelope, 
and  various  kinds  of  game,  the  party  even  seeing 
traces  of  tigers.  The  inhabitants  were  timid,  suspi 
cious,  and  quite  like  savages.  They  had  the  gaunt, 
wolfish  appearance  of  people  always  short  of  food, 
and  always  searching  for  something  to  satisfy  their 
hunger.  Early  in  November  the  expedition  reached 
a  point  in  the  vicinity  of  Lob  Nor,  and  some  of  the 
party  went  on  an  exploring  and  hunting  trip  which 
lasted  till  November  16th. 

Lob  Nor,  which  according  to  Chinese  maps,  was 
supposed  to  be  a  large  lake,  was  found  to  be  a  wil 
derness  of  reeds  and  small  shallow  pools ;  which, 
however,  in  particularly  wet  seasons  would  be  likely 
to  swell  and  expand  to  a  large  shallow  lake  for  a 
short  period.  A  few  small  hamlets  of  reed  huts  were 
found,  inhabited  by  an  atrociously  ugly,  but  hospit 
able,  Mohammedan  population,  who  lived  chiefly  on 
fish  and  wild  ducks,  captured  from  day  to  day  in  the 
Lob.  Wild  camels  were  also  found  on  the  deserts  a 
few  days  from  the  inhabited  spot,  and  for  a  consid 
eration  the  native  sportsmen  rode  away  on  ponies 
and  shot  two,  whose  skins  were  secured  by  Prince 
Henry  of  Orleans  as  trophies  of  the  visit. 

After  leaving  the  vicinity  of  Lob  Nor,  the  travel 
lers  pursued  their  journey  in  a  desolate  and  waterless 
region  of  high  elevation,  where  they  suffered  from 
"  mountain  sickness "  (the  malady  known  in  the 
Rockies  as  "mountain  fever").  For  five  days  their 


ACROSS  THIBET  283 

march  was  over  a  waterless  tract,  and  they  had  to 
load  some  of  their  camels  with  lumps  of  ice.  The 
region  would  also  seem  to  be  even  more  destitute  of 
provisions  for  man  and  beast  than  of  water,  for  M. 
Bonvalot  thus  describes  their  preparations  for  de 
parture  : 

"  November  16th. — All  is  ready.  We  take  with 
us  seven  hundred  small  bundles  of  hay  to  feed  our 
horses,  which  are  bound  to  die  off  first.  We  have 
taken  into  account  the  probabilities,  not  to  say  the 
certainty,  of  deaths,  in  order  to  fix  the  quantity  of 
rations  we  need  to  take  with  us,  and  it  is  in  propor 
tion  to  the  number  of  beasts  of  burden  that  we  have  ; 
so  that  the  load  may  decrease  as  the  animals  die  and 
that  the  survivors  may  not  be  over- burdened  just 
when  their  strength  has  declined.  Experience  tells 
us  about  how  much  is  wanted  to  feed  the  fourteen 
men  of  our  regular  army  for  five,  or,  at  the  outside, 
six  months." 

Their  route  skirted  the  desert  of  Yobi,  and  mention 
was  made,  among  other  novel  features  of  the  country, 
of  a  species  of  wild  horse,  called  Koulanes,  which 
roam  the  desert  in  large  bands.  Traces  of  wild  asses 
were  also  observed.  Already  the  region  was  more  des 
olate  and  forbidding  than  the  worst  encountered  by 
Shaw  on  his  journey  from  Cashmere  to  Kashgar  over 
the  Pamir. 

"  November  20th.— To-day  and  yesterday  has  been 
devoted  to  the  Tach-Davan  (pass)  and  our  troop  be 
ing  quite  exhausted,  several  of  them  have  been  bleed 
ing  from  the  nose,  though  we  have  not  yet  reached 
the  altitude  of  Mont  Blanc.  The  ascent  is  so  steep 


284  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

that  we  have  been  compelled  at  times  to  hoist  up  the 
camels,  and  from  the  bottom  men  have  to  carry  up 
the  baggage.  We  are  encamped  in  the  midst  of  a 
narrow,  stony  valley,  quite  arid,  and  without  any 
signs  of  brushwood.  Our  provision  of  ice  is  dimin 
ishing,  and  the  animals  have  not  drunk  for  two  days. 
So  the  new  recruits  who  find  themselves  in  this  deso 
late  mountain  are  quite  out  of  heart  and  fall  of 
gloomy  forebodings.  The  Doungane,  in  particular,  is 
very  exasperated,  and  keeps  on  saying  '  If  the  route 
is  not  better  farther  o-n  what  is  to  become  of  us  ? ' 
And  there  is  very  little  chance  of  its  improving,  for 
from  the  summit  of  this  accursed  spot  we  can  only 
see  in  front  of  us  mountain  piled  upon  mountain." 

The  whole  of  December  was  spent  in  traversing  a 
desolate  region  of  mountain  passes,  amid  violent 
storms  of  wind,  with  the  thermometer  often  indicat 
ing  a  temperature  of  more  than  20°  below  zero. 
Owing  to  the  elevation  and  the  violence  of  the  ele 
ments  generally,  the  whole  party  suffered  with  split 
ting  headaches  and  various  ailments  ;  and  occasion 
ally  members  of  the  party  got  lost  and  wandered 
about  until  discovered  by  search  parties,  owing  to  the 
barrenness  of  the  landscape,  and  the  absence  of  ob 
jects  on  which  to  fix  the  memory.  One  of  the  native 
aids  died  of  exhaustion,  and  at  times  the  entire  party 
were  in  desperate  plight.  On  the  last  day  of  the 
year  M.  Bonvalot  writes  a  description  of  their  sur 
roundings  and  experiences  which  gives  a  fair  idea  of 
events  from  day  to  day  on  this  part  of  the  journey. 

"  December  31st. — The  tempest  lasted  all  night 
with  a  minimum  of  21°  below  zero.  We  sorely  need- 


ACEOSS   THIBET  285 

ed  a  lower  altitude,  for  men,  horses,  and  camels  are 
alike  in  a  bad  way,  and  old  Imatch  has  his  feet  badly 
swollen.  All  through  this,  the  last  day  of  the  year, 
we  marched  along  between  sandhills,  winding  round 
the  shores  of  a  lake  (frozen),  our  horses  pretty  well 
blinded  by  the  dust  and  sand.  The  camels  would 
not  follow  one  another,  for  the  wind  blinded  and 
stupefied  them,  and  each  one  tried  to  shelter  himself 
behind  the  other.  This  caused  them  to  deviate  from 
the  straight  line,  and  Prince  Henry,  with  compass  in 
hand,  leading  the  way,  had  constantly  to  turn  round 
and  put  the  caravan  straight." 

On  January  4th  the  thermometer  was  down  to  35° 
below  zero,  a  bitterly  cold  temperature,  especially 
with  a  strong  wind.  Mountain  chains,  each  one 
higher  than  the  other,  were  piled  up  in  front  of  the 
party,  and  as  the  rarity  of  the  atmosphere  increased, 
together  with  the  increase  of  cold,  the  sufferings  of 
the  travellers  grew  more  intense.  In  the  dips  be 
tween  the  mountain  ridges  a  number  of  frozen  rivers 
were  crossed,  which  the  Europeans  believed  to  be 
the  headwaters  of  the  Yang-tsi-Kiang  and  other  large 
Chinese  rivers.  Strange  to  say,  in  these  frozen  re 
gions  they  saw  monkeys  playing  about  on  the  ice 
and  rocks.  They  were  red-haired  and  almost  tail 
less,  and  with  very  small  heads.  Near  where  they 
encountered  the  monkeys,  animals  which  we  are  ac 
customed  to  associate  with  tropical  climes  and  scen 
ery,  they  experienced  the  coldest  weather  of  the  en 
tire  journey,  viz.  48°  below  zero.  Few  things  seem 
more  incongruous  than  members  of  the  anthropoid 
family  associated  with  this  intense  cold. 


286  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

After  some  six  weeks  of  travel  they  arrived  in 
Thibet  proper,  and  great  was  the  rejoicing  of  all 
when  they  encountered  the  first  Thibetan,  after  be 
ing  so  long  in  the  uninhabited  wilds.  While  rejoic 
ing  at  again  seeing  human  beings,  the  Frenchman 
indulges  in  a  witty  comment  upon  the  necessity  of 
again  keeping  their  fire-arms  in  readiness,  "  for  have 
we  not  come  upon  our  brethren,  part  of  the  great 
human  family  ?  "  The  meeting  with  this  first  native 
of  the  mysterious  land  of  the  Lamas  is  thus  graphi 
cally  described : 

"  January  31st. — While  the  beasts  are  being 
loaded  and  we  are  sipping  our  tea  in  the  tent,  we 
hear  shouts,  and  Abdullah  comes  rushing  in,  beam 
ing  with  joy,  and  saying  (referring  to  a  lottery  that 
had  been  gotten  up  to  be  won  by  the  person  who 
should  make  the  nearest  guess  when  men  should  be 
seen),  '  You  can  get  out  your  purse  and  pay  the 
winner;  a  man  is  coming.'  On  the  arrival  of  the 
Thibetan  he  is  greeted  in  Mongolian,  and  replies  in 
the  same  language,  all  the  men  crowding  round  him 
and  speaking  at  once.  Rachmed  comes  and  tells  us 
that  he  is  ugly  beyond  description,  and  that  the  very 
bears  are  better  looking.  When  we  think  that  the 
ice  has  been  broken  we  come  out,  Prince  Henry  with 
his  photographic  apparatus  in  his  hand ;  and  our 
presence  produces  a  certain  effect  upon  our  guest,  as 
he  rises  when  he  sees  us,  calls  us  '  membo,'  that  is  to 
say,  '  chief,'  and,  in  order  to  salute  us,  lifts  up  his 
thumb  and  protrudes  an  enormous  tongue. 

He  is  a  very  little  man,  with  a  clean-shaven  face, 
covered  with  a  layer  of  grease  and  smoke,  and  fur- 


ACROSS  THIBET  287 

rowed  by  a  great  number  of  deep  wrinkles.  His 
eyes,  sunken  in  the  orbits,  are  little  more  than  black 
spots  beneath  the  swollen  eyelids,  with  brown  pupils. 
His  face  is  made  to  appear  shorter  by  long  locks  of 
hair  which  fall  down  upon  the  hollow  cheeks;  the 
nose  is  large  and  the  mouth  toothless,  with  thick 
lips,  and  the  square  chin  has  no  sign  of  hair.  The 
man  is  weakly,  and  we  can  see  that  his  hand  is  small 
and  dirty,  as  he  manipulates  his  snuff-box  cut  out 
of  a  piece  of  horn,  shaking  out  some  powdered  red 
tobacco  which  he  sniffs  up  into  his  nose. 

"  His  dress  is  in  keeping  with  his  person,  his  head 
gear  consisting  of  a  strip  of  skin,  which  is  wound 
around  the  forehead  and  fastened  at  the  back,  leav 
ing  the  summit  of  the  head  bare.  From  the  top 
hangs  down  a  tress  of  hair  (queue),  coming  as  far  as 
the  loins,  and  passed  through  two  or  three  rings 
made  of  animal's  bones.  The  owner  of  the  tress 
must  rub  fat  over  it,  for  that  portion  of  his  attire 
which  it  rubs  against  is  more  greasy  and  shiny  than 
the  rest." 

Four  days  after  seeing  the  first  Thibetan  their 
camp  was  approached  by  about  twenty  horsemen, 
who  demanded  to  know  who  they  were,  what  was 
their  business,  and  whither  they  were  bound.  Swift 
messengers  had  been  sent  off  to  Lhassa,  the  capital  of 
the  Lamas,  when  the  strangers  had  first  been  seen  ; 
and  these  men  had  come  to  report  on  the  answer  of 
the  Lhassa  authorities.  The  travellers  were  ordered 
to  stay  where  they  were  ;  and  if  they  were  Fa-Lang 
(that  is,  English  or  Russian)  they  were  to  be  supplied 
with  what  they  wanted  for  the  return  whence  they 


288  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

came.  The  party,  naturally,  refused  to  retract  their 
steps,  however,  and  proceeded  toward  Lhassa,  slowly 
and  painfully,  for  the  weather  still  continued  ex 
tremely  cold,  and  their  camels  and  horses  were  about 
done  up.  The  Thibetans  offered  a  passive  resistance 
by  refusing  to  sell  them  horses,  or  to  assist  them  in 
any  way.  In  their  extremity  they  endeavored  to 
seize  horses,  but  the  Thibetans  drove  away  their 
herds,  and  tried  by  creating  a  void  about  the  expedi 
tion  to  bring  them  to  a  halt. 

On  February  13th,  the  travellers  reached  the  sum 
mit  of  a  pass,  and  came  in  full  view  of  the  Ningling 
Tanla,  the  holy  mountain  of  Thibet,  and  the  holy 
lake  Namtso. 

"  At  our  feet,  between  cliffs  to  the  west,  from 
which  descend  promontories,  forming  gulfs  and  bays, 
glitters  a  beautiful  silver  mirror,  round  in  shape,  but 
oval  like  an  egg.  To  the  southwest  the  lake  skirts 
a  hill  and  extends  much  farther ;  but  whether  this 
hill  forms  an  island  or  a  peninsula  we  cannot  tell. 
The  Ningling  Tanla  arrests  our  attention  much 
longer,  as  this  chain  unfolds  before  us  its  summits 
and  peaks  capped  with  snow,  quite  shutting  out  the 
horizon.  We  are  struck  by  the  equal  altitude  of  this 
long  row  of  peaks  surmounting  spurs  which  descend 
toward  the  lake  in  regular  rows,  like  the  tents  of  an 
encamped  army  ;  and  just  in  the  centre  we  can  see, 
towering  over  all  the  rest,  four  large  icy  peaks,  which 
the  Thibetans  revere,  for  behind  them  is  Lhassa,  the 
t  city  of  the  spirits.' " 

The  gallant  Frenchman  and  his  party  were  the  first 
Europeans  actually  to  behold  this  sight,  though  the 


ACROSS  THIBET  289 

sacred  lake  and  mountains  had  been  located  geograph 
ically,  through  the  researches  of  Nain  Singh.  The 
altitude  here  was  15,321  feet ;  and  although  on 
ground  never  before  trodden  by  Europeans  the 
travellers  at  least  knew  where  they  were,  a  thing  which 
they  had  been  by  no  means  certain  of  for  several 
weeks  past. 

At  the  pass  over  the  Ningling  Tanla  the  expedition 
was  halted  for  a  whole  month,  negotiating  with  the 
authorities  for  permission  to  proceed.  The  travellers 
were  visited  in  their  camp  by  the  Ta-Lama,  or  re 
ligious  chief  of  the  place,  and  the  Ta-Amban,  or  high 
civil  officer,  together  with  many  hundreds  of  petty 
chiefs  and  their  followers.  M.  Bonvelot  thus  de 
scribes  the  visit  and  appearance  of  the  great  chiefs 
in  their  camp : 

"  Then  the  interpreters  arrive  and  ask  us  to  grant 
an  audience  to  the  great  men  who  had  just  arrived. 
We  reply  that  we  shall  be  very  happy  to  receive  them 
at  once.  When  our  answer  has  been  transmitted, 
quite  a  large  band  makes  it  way  to  our  tent,  preceded 
by  two  individuals  who  are  sumptuously  attired  in 
the  Chinese  style.  These  two  approach  arm  in  arm ; 
and  one  of  them,  small,  short,  round,  and  bent  in  the 
back,  leaned  heavily  on  his  companion's  arm.  With 
a  venerable  air  these  two  approach  slowly,  stopping 
to  take  breath  every  fifteen  steps.  Perhaps  this  mode 
of  procession  is  meant  to  be  in  good  form  to  impress 
us,  and  give  plenty  of  time  to  go  politely  and  meet 
them.  But  we  are  rude  enough  to  remain  in  our 
tent,  and  only  go  out  of  it  when  they  have  got  on  to 
our  ground.  We  then  exchange  salutations  with  the 


290  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

two  chiefs,  who  are  introduced  to  us  as  the  Ta-Lama, 
and  the  Ta-Amban,  after  which  some  porters  deposit 
at  our  feet  five  sacks — one  of  rice,  one  of  zainha,  one 
of  meal,  one  of  Chinese  peas  and  one  of  butter.  Then 
we  invite  the  two  ambassadors  to  enter  our  tent, 
where  our  skins  are  spread  ready  for  them.  The  sim 
plicity  of  our  furniture  is  evidently  a  surprise  to  them, 
for  they  appear  to  hesitate,  and  make  difficulties  be 
fore  entering.  Then,  when  once  they  have  entered, 
they  ask  permission  to  sit  on  their  own  little  rugs, 
and  their  servants  lay  down  for  one  of  them  a  wild 
cat's  skin,  and  for  the  other  a  small  mattress  lined 
with  silk.  They  apologize  for  these  precautions  on 
the  score  of  their  age,  and  fatigue. 

"  The  three  who  had  been  the  first  (on  a  previous 
occasion)  to  enter  into  negotiations  with  us,  take  their 
seats  near  them  in  front  of  us,  and  the  conversation 
commences." 

At  first  it  consisted  of  mere  polite  exchanges. 
Then  came  direct  questions  about  themselves  and 
the  motive  of  their  travels. 

"  You  will  now  retrace  your  steps,"  spoke  the  Ta- 
Lama. 

"No,  that  is  impossible." 

"If  you  will  we  will  supply  you  with  all  that  you 
want.  This  is  the  best  course  for  you  to  pursue, 
and  we  shall  part  good  friends.  Think  over  my  sug 
gestion,  which  I  advise  you  to  accept.  I  venture  to 
hope  that  we  shall  not  fall  out,  for  we  have  come 
without  any  soldiers,  though  we  might  have  brought 
some  from  Lhassa.  That  proves  our  good  inten 
tions." 


ACROSS  THIBET  291 

The  authorities  seem  to  have  confined  themselves 
to  diplomacy  and  veiled  hints  of  armed  opposition, 
and  to  have  been  really  anxious  to  make  a  favorable 
impression,  and  remain  on  friendly  terms  with  the 
visitors,  whom  they  regarded  with  deep  suspicion. 

In  striking  contrast  to  the  Chinese  refinement  of 
the  Lhassa  officials,  were  the  native  Thibetans, 
whom  the  narrator  constantly  refers  to  as  utter  sav 
ages.  Hundreds  of  these  rude  people  were  in  attend 
ance  on  the  Lamas  and  officials,  and  obeyed  them  as 
dogs  obey  their  master.  A  group  is  thus  described  : 

"  We  see  squatted  round  a  wood  fire  eight  long 
haired  men  under  the  command  of  a  shorn  Lama. 
They  are  conversing  quietly  and  smoking  a  little 
pipe  formed  of  an  earthenware  bowl  and  bone  stem, 
which  they  hand  round  to  each  other  in  turn. 
These  are  the  poor  wretches  whose  work  it  is  to 
gather  the  dead  wood,  and  who  have  no  part  in  the 
New  Year's  celebrations.  What  we  took  for  a  tent 
in  the  distance  is  really  only  half  a  tent,  a  mere  shel 
ter  of  black  sack-cloth,  open  on  the  side  from  which 
there  is  no  wind.  They  sleep  there  on  a  little  straw 
and  chips ;  in  a  corner  stand  their  bows  and  lances, 
and  in  the  middle  three  stones  form  a  fire-place  for 
use  on  windy  days.  Their  simple  dress  is  cut  out  of 
sheep-skins,  frayed  at  the  lower  extremities,  full  of 
holes,  and  extraordinarily  dirty.  Their  faces,  black 
ened  with  grease  and  smoke,  suggest  the  purest  type 
of  savage  that  one  can  imagine.  On  looking  at  their 
narrow  heads  we  ask  ourselves  what  brains  they  can 
possibly  inclose,  and  are  by  no  means  astonished  at 
the  unusual  authority  which  the  Lamas  exercise  over 


292  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

beings  so  very  unintelligent,  so  little  capable  of  any 
self-will,  whose  sensations  cannot  differ  much  from 
those  of  yaks  and  dogs." 

The  complete  control  exercised  by  the  Lamas  over 
the  common  Thibetans  was  further  made  manifest 
on  March  17,  when,  permission  having  at  length 
been  obtained  to  move,  preparations  for  departure 
were  in  order. 

"The  Lamas  then  set  about  obtaining  from  the 
Djachas,  yaks  and  horses  enough  for  the  whole  cara 
van.  So  many  are  required  that  the  Djachas  refuse 
to  supply  us,  and  getting  angry,  shout  and  threaten. 
Then  the  Ta-Lama  summons  their  chiefs,  who,  im 
mediately  on  receiving  the  order,  appear  calm  but 
crestfallen.  The  Ta-Lama  bids  his  servants  throw 
open  the  front  of  his  tent,  and  from  his  dais — where 
he  remains  sitting  cross-legged,  his  hands  in  his 
sleeves— talks  quietly  to  them.  He  has  scarcely 
opened  his  mouth  when  the  savages  bend,  and  in  the 
posture  of  a  child  awaiting  the  cane,  lower  their 
heads,  scarcely  daring  to  raise  their  eyes,  and  cry 
humbly : 

"  '  Lalesse,  lalesse  ! '     (We  are  ready.) 

"  And  when  the  Ta-Lama,  in  conclusion,  says  to. 
them,  still  in  his  quiet  tones  : 

"  '  Is  it  possible  that  you  would  displease  the  Djon- 
goro  Boutch  (the  living  Buddha)  and  the  Ta-Lama 
(great  Lama)  ? ' 

"  '  No,'  they  reply,  groaning,  and  falling  on  their 
knees. 

"  *  Very  well ;  then  obey.' 

"  «  Lalesse,  lalesse.'     (It  is  all  right.) 


ACROSS  THIBET  293 

"  A  servant  thereupon  bids  them  retire,  which  they 
do,  backward,  in  the  most  respectful  attitude  of  the 
country." 

From  Lhassa  the  expedition  was  assisted  toward 
Tonquin  by  the  district  chiefs  with  droves  of  burden- 
carrying  yaks,  horses,  and  people,  under  orders  from 
the  Ta-Lama.  The  more  southern  parts  of  Thibet 
were  found  to  be  thickly  populated,  compared  with 
the  country  about  Lhassa.  Their  route  took  them 
across  a  succession  of  mountain  passes  and  valleys. 
Passing  through  much  new  and  interesting  country, 
they  finally  arrived  at  Ba-Tang  in  June,  a  point 
which  had  previously  been  visited  by  several  Euro 
peans,  entering  from  the  Chinese  side.  The  expedi 
tion  embarked  on  the  Red  River  on  September  22d, 
having  traversed  3,750  miles  across  the  mysterious 
"  Roof  of  the  World  "  since  leaving  Djarkent. 

Of  the  future  of  Thibet,  it  may  be  said  that  any 
positive  conjecture  would  be  rash  at  the  present 
(1892)  time.  From  M.  Bonvalot's  experiences  it  ap 
pears  that  the  approaches  from  the  Russian  side  are 
vastly  more  difficult  even  than  from  the  side  toward 
India,  and  that  an  invasion,  in  force,  from  either 
would  be  attended  with  enormous  difficulties.  Po 
litically,  as  well  as  geographically,  it  seems  to  belong 
by  nature  to  China,  or  Tonquin  ;  the  communications 
from  either  of  these  being  comparatively  easy,  arid 
through  an  inhabited  country. 

Within  itself  the  country  appears  to  be  easy  prey 
enough  for  whoever  should  undertake  its  conquest. 
Judging  from  M.  Bonvalot's  account,  Thibet  is,  from 
a  military  point  of  view,  at  the  mercy  of  any  ener- 


294  TRAVELS  IN  CENTRAL  ASIA 

getic  adventurer  who  could  take  with  him  five  hundred 
disciplined  troops.  The  Chinese  authorities  exercise 
but  a  nominal  control  over  the  country,  and  the  peo 
ple  are  governed,  or  rather  exploited,  through  the 
agency  of  religious  superstition,  and  the  diplomacy 
of  superior  cunning  and  craft  on  the  part  of  the 
priests  or  Lamas  and  a  handful  of  Chinese  mandarins. 
Future  developments  in  this  very  interesting  land 
will  be  looked  forward  to  with  keener  anticipation 
by  all  lovers  of  travel  and  adventure  than  to  any 
other  country  in  Central  Asia. 


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S   19    193- 


&PB  30 


BIFR    8197352 


fiEC'DLQ   APR] 


SEP    3  1978 

BEC.CIR.SEP1218 


APR  292)04 


773-5PM2  8 


- 


MAY  2  3  2005 


LD  21-50m-l,'33 


Taylor,    3. 
Central A si 


six 


20   193 


SK'ssf 


A 


DK851      


525675 


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